Unchained By Lucifael
by paskin52
Summary: Harry finally decides to take back his freedom. This story was written by Lucifael and i am mearly putting it on this site word for word.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 by lucifael

Unchained  
Chapter One

The large foot swung back with a soft whistle of air and Harry saw it begin its forward drive. He could not take another kick, not even one. Time seemed to slow before his very eyes. The foot and leg now moving in slow motion, the air hanging and the dust motes still, he brought his hands up in front of him in an almost reflex action. Something passed through him and flowed through his entire being flashing out of his hands with an electrical snap, sizzle.

His uncle Vernon flew backwards through the air like a doll, hitting the partition wall so hard he continued right through to the kitchen. The kitchen table turned to kindling as the large man landed on it hard.

Time snapped back into focus and Harry leapt to his feet, his injuries spontaneously healing, ribs snapping back into place with an audible crack. He took a long deep breath of sweet air and glared at the prone form of his Uncle through the hole in the wall. Around him, magic danced in a kaleidoscope of charged air with little bolts of lightning crackling in time to his heartbeat.

This was true magic he realized in the part of his brain that was not incensed. It was Unchained, unfettered magic at its purest. He walked to the wall, and stepped through the ragged hole, he almost casually waved his hand behind him and it sealed with a strange reversed crashing noise.

In front of him, Vernon was stirring and looking around a little dazed.

"I don't think I'm going to be putting up with anymore of that Vernon." Harry said in a low voice tinged with flaming anger.

His Uncle spat out some blood and hoisted his large frame to rest on his elbows. "You've done it now boy. They will not let you back in that freaky little school now. You've done magic outside of school."

Harry smiled slightly evilly, "Do you see a wand Uncle Vernon?" he asked rhetorically.

Vernon narrowed his eyes at Harry. "But..." he began.

Harry waived his hand, feeling the pure power flowing through him leaping to his command. His uncle was lofted into the air and turned to face him. With another thought, the large man was brought close to Harry's emerald gaze. "But nothing you fat bastard. I've had enough of you do you hear me? I have had enough of your abuse, you belittling me and acting as if you are better than I am. You are nothing but a nasty bully with delusions of grandeur. So from now on you'll behave and you will treat me with the respect I deserve or I will make you pay" he said his voice low and threatening. "I could kill you know with a thought and no one would ever know." he informed the frightened man.

"But I'm better than you. Exactly what do you think you were doing, beating some normality into me? I am a wizard and I will die a wizard, that doesn't make me better than you; just different. But what does make me better than you is the fact that you are still breathing. Just a few more kicks and you would have pushed a rib into my lung or something. I mean how thick are you? You were warned at the start of summer to treat me right. I just let my fear of you force me to do what you wanted of me. Just because you are bigger than me and I thought I couldn't use magic. Guess what? I can, so watch yourself. Oh, and tell that horse faced bitch of a wife and whale of a son to watch out too or else it will be you that pays" he continued.

With his impromptu soliloquy delivered. Harry waived a hand at the broken table and repaired it with a thought and very little drain on his power. Almost negligible in fact, he looked up at the kitchen window wondering if he was about to get some sort of letter from the ministry but so far so good.

Then he turned, dropping the man on his fat arse. He left the room with a still visible aura of power floating around his form. Once he reached his room, he tried to calm himself, taking long slow breaths and practicing the exercises from his book on Occlumancy. It worked, but it was hard going for a while. His aura of power faded back into his body slowly but surely until it was no longer visible.

Once he was calm curiosity was abound in his mind. He could not focus on the right telling off he had just given his Uncle. As far as he was concerned, it was a long time coming. For one thing, the bastard had been on his case since he had arrived from the station. From there it had just gone down hill. Especially with the nightmares that had plagued him of his godfathers death. They had passed though when he had come to terms with it, and his part in it. He was certainly never going to make that mistake again. Which had been when he had picked up his book on Occlumancy and started to study like mad, the nightmares from the 'other' source had faded since he had organized and controlled his mind somewhat. He was not sure if it was that Voldemort was bored torturing him, or his mental shielding was now in place.

Unlike his sessions with Snape Harry had actually learned quite a lot about Occlumancy and how it worked. As well as how to clear his mind, to organize his thoughts and settle his emotions.

However, this new burst of pure magical power was something very new.

As an experiment, he tried to capture the feeling of the flow of energy in his body and mind. Reaching out his hand, he tried to float Hedwig's cage over to him.

With a surprised hoot, the owl and cage floated into his waiting hand.

Harry smiled, this was magic. Not the stupid incantations or structured wand movements. Intent, Focus and Balance were the true cornerstones of magic.

"Hello girl, looks like our teachers have been lying to us all this time." Harry said sardonically. Was this Wandless magic, he wondered, or was it something else entirely. Could it in fact be the power he knew not?

Hedwig found herself in flight again and settled back on top of the wardrobe as Harry sat down on his bed deep in thought.

Just then, he felt a 'knocking' at his mental shielding. It was a seriously strange feeling to be sure, but he had a fair guess as to who would want to contact him this way. The only person other than Snape that rampaged through his mind on a regular basis, he thought about just ignoring the strangely gentle request, but then he really did need to know for the order, and himself, what Voldemort was up to now. Therefore, he created a tunnel through his shields and followed the presence back into the 'hosts' mind.

'Welcome young Harry' a smooth mental voice greeted him.

'Voldemort, what do you want?' Harry asked.

'I wanted merely to congratulate you on your quite excellent mental shielding' the smooth tones informed him.

'Yeah right, I believe you. How about we skip the Evil Overlord crap and cut to the heart of the matter. What is it you want Tom?'

'My name is Voldemort boy, best you remember that.' The voice said with a hint of menace. 'But I will grant you your request. I want us to join forces against that old meddler Dumbledore.'

'Why on gods green earth would I do that?' Harry asked.

'Dumbledore is not the friend you think him Harry, surely you can see that by now. The Wizarding world under our command would be a much better place. Almost Utopian in fact'

Harry was about to answer that when he felt a subtle probing around in an area of his mind he had most heavily warded. 'Bastard' Harry thought privately to himself. 'So he's after the prophesy he still thinks I know it. Well let's see how he likes someone digging around in HIS brain'

With that, Harry's power levels blazed around him in the same crackling aura as before. He bulled his way through Voldemorts mental shielding; exploding out of the mental construct the evil wizard had created for their meeting. At the same time he trapped him in a memory of being held under the Crucio curse. As the wizard screamed in the privacy of his personal lair, Harry ripped into his mind. He had no idea if it was actually possible to do what he was in fact doing, but he figured with the way the day had gone so far he had nothing to loose.

Voldemort cried out in agony as the supposedly weak Harry Potter ripped through his consciousness like a bull in a china shop. It took everything he had available to try to muster up some sort of defence to the sheer white-hot agony he was experiencing. Once he had gathered a position of power in his own mind, he pushed back with all his will power.

Harry felt Voldemort mustering his defences' against him and with a burst of power left the evil bastards mind, literally dumping some of the other mans knowledge into a section of his own mind. Then he left causing Voldemort no small amount of pain in the process.

"That'll teach the evil shit to mess in my head." Harry said with a hard edge to his voice. Then the swirling mass of knowledge newly dumped in his mind caused him to collapse backwards onto his bed out cold.

-oOo-

A few hours later Harry awoke to the darkness of night. Feeling somewhat groggy from his strange day, he sat up on his bed and gave his head a shake. Stuff was swirling around in his head like a tornado in a teacup. Runes filled his imagination for a moment, followed by arithmancy computations he had never heard of and a whole host of other information and data. Curses filled his minds eye, movements of wand and hand. Ancient tomes floated around the miasma of his conscious thought. He struggled to get a handle on it all. When he had made his last desperate grab for anything that might be useful to him, he had never imagined that he would be able to grab so much. He focused on his mental construct; an ancient manor house appeared in his minds eye. He swept through the rooms with the power of thought, filing bits of information away as he could. Dumping some in rooms and locking it if he could not. Some of it was just too overwhelming, dark and evil information that staggered his mind. He truly had not realized the depths of depravity that Voldemort had gone to, the evil he had researched painstakingly. The dark rituals he had followed in his journey towards immortality.

Therefore, Harry filed all that data away in his junk rooms.

He created his mental construct following some information he had picked up from one of the most unlikely of sources. The local library, the book in question merely dealt with memory techniques, but adding that information to his Occlumancy studies, he had found that he could ward a room, make it secure and only accessible to him. That and he could put up security around the entire construct itself. He had quite often hidden there while his uncle had been either ranting at him or wailing on him, until finally the damn had broken and his magic had reacted to protect him.

Then the floodgates had opened and he could feel the power just humming under the surface, ready to do his bidding at any given moment. It was a strangely frightening and freeing feeling. Nevertheless, true freedom was scary in a way and Harry understood that it would come at a cost. What that cost was, he could not tell yet. However, he knew that he would have to focus even more on his control, over his mind and power to take the initiative and make sure he ruled his powers and they did not rule over him.

To that end, he swept into his 'living room' a comfortable area in his subconscious where he could think properly. He focused on the part of him that he felt the power purring from his ministrations. He had no idea if all wizards had such a reservoir of energy available to them, but it seemed immense to him. He almost automatically created a door leading off the main area to access the well of magic within him, then searched for other sources that connected to him.

What he found caused him to recoil. Dark magic seeped in evil was pouring into him from somewhere; it felt cold and wet like a smack in the face with a fish, a putrid fish at that, he swam up the stream of disgusting magic until he found where it entered his being.

He was not entirely sure, but unless he was mistaken this was where his curse scar would be on his physical body. He debated for a while with just creating a wall in front of the gushing river of energy, and then decided against it. For one thing, he did not think it would actually work for long, and secondly he would be a fool to refuse any extra boosts to his power that were available to him. The trouble was that it was tainted; obviously, as it was coming from Voldemort himself. The much-vaulted connection they shared via the curse some 16 years ago. He could not use the power as it was, that would be signing his own ticket into becoming the next Dark Lord. He had no wish for that. True the Wizarding world had not exactly treated him well but there were bright spots, his friends the Weasley's and others from school. He knew if he went down the easy path, he would be lost and they would all suffer. Not, that it was not an attractive idea though, the thought of easy power and the simple existence free from morality and the bounds of socially acceptable behaviour was quite intoxicating.

But he had other plans.

He had decided earlier in the summer that he would live the life his godfather would want for him. This did not include going to the dark side, to paraphrase. His godfather was all about enjoyment, of the moment, of friends, of the opposite sex and living life to the fullest. He could not ignore what he believed his Godfather would want for him. He had loved the old dog, in more ways than one, something fierce. Therefore, the dark path was one he just could not justify for himself.

That still left him the problem of all that tainted magic flowing into his very soul. It would eventually turn him dark if he did not do something about it. He just was not sure what he could do yet. What would be great was if he could create some sort of filter that would detoxify the magic putting it back to its normal state of neither evil nor good. Just pure magic, he swam along the current of magic and went to where he had stored the knowledge of rune work. He had an idea, he just was not sure he could make it work. What he needed was a 'goodness' filter, a ward that he would place over the source and that would, turn dark to pure. Or something like that anyway.

He spent the next few hours reading everything he could find, while arranging the data, and working up a possible solution to his dilemma. He was sure that Hermione would be proud of how studious he was being. Though she would doubtless have Kneazle kittens if she knew where he had picked up the new knowledge from. That thought gave him a slight smile as he paused to work out the knots in his incorporeal body. It was doubtless a mental thing but sitting and reading always gave him a crick in the neck if he did it for too long, in the real world or otherwise.

He sketched down the runic schema that he had designed and hoped for the best. Then he willed himself to the source or his scar in other words, and lifted himself above the river of tainted magic.

Then he willed some writing implements into being and set to work, crisscrossing from one side of the jagged opening to the other as he worked. It took him quite some time to complete the intricate runes and web of ward work. Then he penned the last line of the final rune and sat back to watch his, hopeful, masterpiece come alive.

Green lines shot from one rune to the other, working their way up to the top of the scar and back down again in a spider's web of luminescent magic. There was a pause and the filter pulsed with power as the black magic fought against the change, but his work was impeccable and it won through. Then a pure flood of magic flowed through the fine web of the ward and washed away the old impurities as it gushed down the valley the previous magic had caused. Then it joined his well of magic with a golden waterfall of power.

He felt the change almost immediately; he was almost refreshed despite the hard work he had just endured. He did some last minute checking as well as adding a few security wards he had learned in the process of his study and then left for his comfortable spot.

All in all not a bad nights work he decided. With that he unfocused, his mind and let his mind free associate itself until sleep claimed him.

-oOo-

The next day Harry awoke feeling much better than normal. He had just gotten a great night sleep and there was a light feeling in his heart. He knew he had many problems left to overcome, but Voldemorts taint had temporarily been removed from his system and it was having a marked difference on him.

He sprang out of bed, landing on his toes. He had no wish to wake the slumbering git's in the house. Then he dressed quickly and decided to go make himself breakfast. Sod his relatives; they coped most of the year without him doing the housework. Therefore, he saw no reason why they could not do the rest without him.

A few minutes later saw Harry sat down to a full fried breakfast with a proper sized portion; he poured on some sauce and dug in with relish.

His peace did not last long though apparently, the smell of cooking food had roused his cousin.

"Where's mine?" he demanded, his piggy little eyes angry.

"Fuck off Dudders." Harry shot back; he was in no mood for his cousin or anyone else ruining his mood that day.

"What?" his whale of a cousin said, shocked.

"It was really quite simply, I even used words I thought you'd understand." Harry said, eating some sausage and egg with a smile.

"Dad will beat the shit out of you for this."

"I very much doubt that, now piss off and let me finish my breakfast in peace."

"You can't do that!"

"You really are dense aren't you? Uncle Vernon is really wasting that money he spends on Smeltings." Harry noted with a smirk as he forked some more food and ate it with enjoyment. "I am doing this and there is nothing you or your dad can do about it. I don't want to be here anymore than you want me to be here Dudley, but we're forced to share the same place for the summer months. But I'm done with you and your family treating me worse than a house elf, and abusing me every chance you get."

Apparently, Dudley was very much like his father and retorted the only way he knew how, physical violence.

Only he was brought up short by a shield that sprang into being around Harry, which then bounced him back onto his overly large backside.

"You can't do magic out of school!" Dudley said scandalized.

"Do you see a wand?" Harry repeated.

"But…"

"This is Deja Vue all over again." Harry mumbled then said in a louder voice, "Look the fact of the matter is I've found a way around that particular rule, I did plenty of magic yesterday and no one has sent me any letters. So I guess you could say I'm free to do what ever I want now couldn't you?" he said, and with a wave, his empty plate lifted off the table and dumped itself in the sink. The cleaning utensils set to work at cleaning it as if by magic one could say.

Harry stood up and smirked down at his cousin. "I'd stay away from me if I were you Dudders, without the restraints on my magic I'm more than you could possibly deal with, even with your little gang of misfits."

Dudley merely nodded, looking scared.

"Besides, you wouldn't want to put your dad through the expense of removing another tail now would you" Harry tossed over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. Still smiling by time, he reached his room he reached towards his cupboard. Then thought better of it, with a click of his fingers his clothing transfigured into things that fit and suited him. Dark pants, emerald green silk shirt and patent leather shoes.

"Cool" he said with a smirk. He mentally reached out and freed his owl from her confinement, the locks installed by his uncle turning into just so much goo. The snowy owl hopped onto his shoulder, being careful with her sharp talons not to hurt her master. "Why don't you spend the day hunting or something?"

She softly hooted at him, and he could swear that she was worried for him. "It's okay girl, they can't hurt me anymore. No one's going to hurt me ever again," he swore to her.

She appeared to mull this over, before unfurling her wings and giving them a flap. He moved across to the window, with a burst of magic the locks were melted away, and she was free to fly away. Yet she still paused. "It's okay, you'll be able to get back in, but I might not be in. I'm going to Diagon Alley today, I'm going to enchant and ward the door behind me so you'll be safe. Only I will be able to gain entry to this room from now on." he looked around and smirked. "I'm going to be making a few changes around here before I go out, so don't be shocked when you get back."

His familiar blinked . . . owlishly at him. As if, she knew any other way, and took off gliding out of the window into the fresh air of Little Hampton.

Harry watched her go with a smile on his face. He was finally declaring his independence, just as any 16 year, old should and he was going to do it with a bang. He was not going to let anyone dictate his life anymore. Not even his head master, who if he were honest with himself, he was not that angry with anymore. Sure it would have been nice to hear the prophesy earlier, but then what good would it have done him. It was not Dumbledore's fault that he had gone charging off to try to save his godfather and ended up putting him in danger that had concluded with him loosing his life. Yet again, it was not Harry that had Sirius taunting one of the most dangerous witches on the face of the planet either. That was all Sirius and a certain amount of arrogance. Nevertheless, it had taught Harry an important lesson. Do not get arrogant with an enemy no matter how much you think you have them under your control.

He turned his thoughts from his impending independence and the steps he would need to take. First, he had to make sure his room was safe, and became somewhere inhabitable. The knowledge he had gained from old Moldyshorts was not something that the man himself would really use. More it was something he had come across during his studies, but had retained in his mind. So while he would not necessarily be conscious of that knowledge. Harry was, even more so thanks to the study he had completed the night before.

He did have one problem though; he did not have any paint or implements. Then he chuckled at himself and focused on what he wanted. His magic did the rest and various items appeared on what passed for his desk. First things first he had to secure the room and key it to either his aura, or perhaps his blood.

He opened his door causing his Uncle to leap back in shock as he had just been passing by.

"Good morning Uncle!" Harry said cheerily.

The man himself grunted in response and ignored Harry as completely as he was able. Which was fine with the young wizard, instead he just focused on his door and began to design a schema that would turn his simple doorway into a secure entryway.

"What do you think you're doing boy?" his uncle demanded.

Harry had totally forgotten he was there, having assumed he had gone off in search for food. "Decorating." was his terse reply. "Got a problem with that?"

Vernon backed away with his hands raised in the air, "No, No, not at all. Just try not to make a mess, you know how your Aunt Petunia is." he said with false charm.

Harry smirked at himself. "Don't worry; when I'm done you won't be able to tell the difference between this door and any other. No mess either."

"Good, good." Vernon said, trying to get a closer look at the strange, to him, symbols being painstakingly and accurately detailed onto the white painted door.

"Just to warn you, once this is done you won't be able to enter the room." Harry said, feeling that since this was after all the mans house he should know what was going on, "once I leave for good, I'll remove the protection and leave the changes to the room in place."

"What changes?" Vernon asked, with a gleam in his eye.

"We freaks can make a room significantly bigger than the outside dimensions should allow. I was planning to make it into the size of a good single person flat. I expect Dudley would quite like it, but then you wouldn't want anyone to know that a freak had created it would you?" Harry said with a smirk.

"Urh..."

"That's what I thought. Either way I can leave it in place, or collapse it. It will be up to you when I come of age and get my own place." Harry said in a reasonable tone of voice, hiding a fully-fledged smirk.

"Right you are then boy, just be careful with that paint you hear!" Vernon said, bustling off rubbing his greedy little hands together at the thought of the extra room, he would have,

Harry ignored his exit and concentrated on his scheme.

-oOo-

After a couple of hours, he was just putting the final touches on the Runes and wards in his room. With a flourish, he added the final stroke, dived out of the open door, and watched as the room magically expanded before his proud gaze. This was more like it, he could possibly have done this with his new magical ability but he was not sure if it would maintain the size difference in his absence. Therefore, he decided to do it the 'hard' way. It was a quite complex and difficult branch of magic but ultimately satisfying in result.

The room shouldered its way into existence, giving the laws of physics the respect they deserved, in other words none at all. After about 5 minutes of magical expansion, it was ready for him to begin creating the decorations. He noticed that his calculations of the living area of his 'flat' were slightly out and that it was about a foot shorter than he had designed, and the kitchenette did not have the extra space. Which meant he was missing a good foot of space somewhere along the line, but he was not about to undo it for a foot. Therefore, he ignored it, hoping it would not be a problem later on.

He willed furnishings into place, a huge bed like his Hogwarts bed only twice the size, done out in Gryffindor colours, next was a desk in the study. Magical cooker, dishwasher and then onto the living room, which he filled with comfortable leather couches and a host of other bits and bobs, feeling the rush of power flowing through him he conjured a variety of other things he thought he might need, all of which popped into place as if by magic one could say.

He yet again decided that this was what true magic was about. He hated to paraphrase his most hated teacher, but no silly wand waving needed, just a thought, a bit of focus and the rush of pure unadulterated magic zipping through him to make his command a reality.

It was the work of an hour to finish his new abode, but when he was done, he was more than happy with the results.

He took a moment to admire his handy work, and then he keyed the wards to himself and his owl.

Now came the tricky bit, he knew the theory of apparition thanks to his mind dump, but doing it was another thing entirely. He was not even sure if it was a good idea to try without some backup. Then, did he have to use that method?

Therefore, he went with the flow as it were and willed himself from Surrey to Greater London, totally ignoring the anti-apparition wards in place around most of Diagon Alley. After all, he had not actually Appareted; he did not even have a name for what he had just done.

Still a little high on the power now at his disposal he tried to rein himself in. He knew by doing he was in effect learning to control the dizzying power flowing through him. Yet at the same time he had to make sure that, the power did not try to control him, or that he got complacent in its use.

He then noticed it was raining in London, while it had been quite sunny in Surrey. With a click of his fingers an umbrella appeared in his hand and a long heavy leather coat around his shoulders, now he looked like a cross between a Muggle and a wizard, he felt that it was quite a fitting look for someone that had a foot either side of the divide. The only problem he had left was his fame. He had noticed earlier that his scar had faded quite a bit, but it was still quite there. He had an almost iconic image as well, with his glasses, messy hair and scar. He wished he could glamour himself but in all the schoolwork, they had done on the subject his scar had still managed to show.

He tried willing it to disappear, but apparently there were still limits to what he could do. Eventually he conjured a skin toned plaster and put that in place instead. He took off his glasses, then focused with all his might and eventually the blurry back alley came into focus, while he could not fix everything, apparently he could fix that. It occurred to him that he should try to further disguise himself, but the truth be told, he was fed up with living in the shadows and hiding from everything and everybody. He just wanted to do a little shopping and perhaps visit with Fred and George. To that end his coat grew a hood which he pulled up which made viewing his face difficult at best. Then he ditched the no longer required 'brolly which went back to wherever these things do.

Then he walked out of the alleyway with a lot more confidence than he truly felt. After all the order could get in his way, or knowing his luck he could walk into the middle of a Death Eater attack. Shaking these thoughts from his mind, he made a beeline for Gringotts with long sure strides.

Luckily, the summer had seen some physical changes in young Harry and he had grown a little. Not a lot but hopefully not all the women in his year would be taller than him, as they had been previously. Though he still had a long, way to go before he approached Ron's height who it appeared grew like a weed. Whenever possible he had also been working out a little. Usually during the dead of night on Dudley's boxing equipment so a little bulk had appeared on his otherwise skinny frame. He still needed to bulk up a bit though if he was going to try to approach a normal size for his age. However, Quidditch and regular running for his life had bestowed a certain scrawny musculature on him. Therefore, he had a build more along the lines of a runner than a boxer say.

Therefore, he hoped that it would not be immediately obvious who he was by looking at his frame alone. With the hood masking his facial features and the odd, for Diagon Alley, clothing he figured he had a good chance.

It was not long before he approached the steps leading to the only Wizarding bank in the country. Ignoring the now familiar stares of the Goblin security guards, he strode into the bank and straight to a teller.

"Hi, I'd like to make a withdrawal." he said once the goblin had deigned to notice him.

"Key, Please"

"Here" Harry said handing over the small Gringotts key. Luckily, he had gotten it back from when Mrs. Weasley had done his shopping for him last year.

"Very well, do you wish to visit your vault or would a payment here suffice."

"Here's fine, I take it you just take the right amount from my vault later on?"

"That is correct Mr . . ."

"I'd rather you didn't mention my name" Harry cut in quickly.

"Very well... sir. The correct amount will merely be taken from your account when we next add interest or remove charges."

"What about Muggle currency, can I get any of that here?"

"How much do you require of each?"

Harry took that as a yes and rattled off a figure for each type of currency. It was more than he really needed but he was interested to see if the Goblin would do it or not. The teller placed his key in a special slot on his desk and read the writing on the parchment that appeared. "That's quite possible sir, though I would not suggest taking that much currency around on your person. Crime is up of late, especially in Muggle London."

"Is there another way?"

"We do a Credit Card, that is acceptable in both wizard and muggle shops. It is fairly new, but I believe if you spend enough time in each locale then it would be perfect for you. Do you intend to do a lot of business in muggle London?"

"Probably, I'd certainly like to sign up for a card."

"You know what a Credit Card is then... sir?"

"Yes, my uncle has several, my cousin even has one."

"Then if you would just step this way..." the Goblin said getting off his chair and leading Harry into an adjoining room. "Please fill out these forms and put them in that out tray. If your application is successful, a card shall be delivered in the in tray. It will then be encoded to your magical signature and be ready for immediate use."

"What about a pin number, for cash machines and the alike?"

"I see you truly do understand. A pin will be supplied. I would suggest that you memorize it here and destroy the parchment immediately."

Harry nodded and set to work on the Application form. There were the usual questions, name, age, birthday and the alike. His Gringotts vault number, and a few very odd questions about his linage and the type of hair cream he used. He thought it typical of the Wizarding world that they had to add the strangest of twists to an already monumental task such as a credit card application.

Still he answered every single weird question or otherwise and placed the completed parchment in the out tray. It twinkled into non-existence. He waited a full five minutes and was just beginning to worry it would be rejected when another twinkle heralded the arrival of a black and gold card bearing a dragon icon appeared. Apart from the somewhat unusual design, it could pass for any other credit card, including the usual line of incomprehensible numbers, expiration date and his name all in embossed letters.

He smiled, picked up the card and promptly signed the back with a flourish. As he did so, he felt a tingle on his fingertips as the card became keyed to his person. Presumably so no other could use the card without a nasty shock knowing the way goblins thought. He noticed that the card was not the only thing that had appeared. He picked up the small piece of parchment, briefly wondering why of all things wizards constantly used old, pricey and above all difficult to make paper. He read his pin and created a new room in his mental construct. He mentally labelled the door 'Finances' and filed the pin number in the correct place. With that done, a quick mental command incinerated the piece of antiquated paper. Which he dropped before it burnt him; it promptly burned to nothing before it even hit the floor.

He then pulled out his somewhat battered wallet, deciding there and then to buy a new one, and proudly placed the shiny new card in place. Then he put away the wallet and walked back to the same goblin he had been talking to before.

"You were approved, I take it?" the goblin asked.

"Yeah, I was just wondering something though?"

The goblin merely looked at him steadily.

"I've heard you have dragons guarding some vaults."

"It is true, yes."

"Can I see one?" Harry asked with a smile.

The goblin looked at him thoughtfully, "Kindly remove your hood for a moment please."

Harry darted a look around, "I'd rather not," he admitted.

"Then allow me to ... peer inside, something is blocking my view quite well considering we can normally see through such artifices."

Harry laughed, "Oh, sorry about that." he said and the blur that was his face formed to show him in all his scared glory.

The goblin nodded, "Thank you, in that case all things considered I believe I shall take you down."

Harry reset his hood while smiling, "Thank you." he said and followed the goblin to the vaults.

"One speed only," the goblin intoned by rite as the cart flew through the maze of corridors, almost coming off the tracks on a few corners.

"Whoa hoo" Harry cried out, "These carts are such a rush."

The goblin smiled thinly at him. "Most are sick," he admitted.

"What can I say? It takes more than that to make me sick."

"I'm not surprised," The goblin said with a smirk full of teeth. "Here, just around the next bend. I shall stop us here. I suggest you don't get too close. This particular specimen is a Hungarian Horntail. I believe you are familiar with the species."

"I'm surprised you'd have followed that farce of a tournament." Harry admitted.

"We Goblins follow many things; it is the way of business, which is why we are interested in you young Harry Potter."

Harry tensed slightly, his magic leaping to his aid.

The goblins eyes widened as he felt the build up of so much power in such a short time. "I assure you we mean you no harm my lord."

"Oh, ok. Most of the time when someone says they're interested in me it is to kill me." Harry said, taking his magic back under his full control.

"I quite understand. It is just from a business point of view, the Dark Lord is not good. That and you are shortly to come into rather a large amount of money via two estates. Then you can see why we would be interested."

"Estates?"

"The reading of Baron Black's will is to be held later on today. Surely you have heard by now that you are the principle."

"No one's told me." Harry said with some anger.

"I would suggest then, that you should find out for yourself. The reading is at 6pm tonight."

"Thank you... What is your name anyway?"

"My name is unimportant."

"Well thank you unimportant." Harry said with a smirk. He had a feeling that he had stepped into some sort of power play here, and he was not having any of it.

The goblin actually let out a dry chuckle before he caught himself and gave Harry a surprised look.

"I'm not quite what the press paint me as am I?" Harry said with a fully-fledged grin.

"Indeed you are not," The goblin admitted.

"Now let's take a look at this dragon. It'll be nice to see one close up without it trying to chase me all over the damn school grounds. Not to mention trying to burning me to a crisp." Harry said getting out of the cart.

The goblin followed a few paces behind him, checking something on his belt. After first discerning who his customer was, he had contacted his superiors and they had quickly given him instructions. If he could make further contact, he was to do so. He had done so, and was constantly being surprised, not only by the request but also by the very nature of Harry Potter. For one thing, he was an unusually powerful wizard. The device on his belt relayed every word back to the chairperson for analysis. He was sure that the Chairman was going to have a lot to think about that was for sure.

"Tell me my lord, what do you think of our service?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Harry asked distracted. He was peering around the corner of the track and looking at the large specimen of a dragon.

"It is your birthright from your father. This at least you must have been told. You are Lord Potter, the last in the line of Potters." the goblin said aghast.

"There are many things that I haven't been told. Apparently for my own safety," Harry grouched. "Though why that would be such a bloody secret I have no idea, I mean what does it really mean anyway?"

"For one thing my lord, it entitles you to respect from your peers, attending special functions, access to the Potter trust and since you are now 16 the freedom that any other member of the peerage enjoys."

"Such as?" Harry asked, turning back to face the Goblin.

"Because of the ancient nature of your blood line, you are no longer considered underage."

"WHAT?" he asked, a little too loudly. The sleeping behemoth guarding the next chamber was awoken. It moved far too quickly for something its size, its flame already coming to life.

The goblin looked up at his death, his thoughts turning to family as they do at times such as this. Then suddenly Harry stepped in front of the Dragon his aura flaring dramatically. The flame leapt from the Dragons mouth and speared towards them. Only to stop dead against Harry's inflamed aura leaving Human and Goblin untouched.

"PIPE DOWN!" Harry shouted.

"What in the Elder's name!" the dragon said.

Harry blinked hard, and carefully ran over what he had just heard again. Well it was a reptile, albeit a giant one. "We have only come to view you Dragon, not to rob the treasure you guard." he said in Parseltongue, though he found it strangely odd to do so to a giant lizard.

The dragon reared back, looking almost like it was going to attack. It was in fact in shock. "You speak the tongue?" it asked, despite the sibilant nature of Parseltongue its voice was deep and rich.

"I do, and apparently so do you." Harry said, smiling. 'God if Charlie or Hagrid could see me now' he thought to himself.

"All of our natures speak the tongue. Though you are not of our nature, how is it that you speak thusly?"

Harry shrugged, "I've no idea, I just can." he said allowing his aura to die down.

Harry's guide looked between the dragon and the wizard in shock. He had no idea that Harry was conversing with the dragon, only that he had saved him with a shocking display of power. Also that the dragon was now acting a little out of character. For one thing, they were not two charred husks on the cavern floor. A buzz on his communications device brought his attention to it. He reached down and attached the earpiece he retrieved to him.

"Gripshank, bring Lord Potter to my chambers when he has done taming our dragons!"

"It shall be done Chairman."

"This is truly a great day lord." the dragon said.

"Now you're doing it."

"Any such as yourself, a special being gifted with the tongue, should be respected. It has been hundreds of years if not longer since a human has communicated thus with one of my kind."

Harry bowed to the Dragon, "My name is Harry Potter, and you are."

"Thisilar the Indentured, Lord Harry."

"Indentured?" he asked.

"Because of my place within this" he looked around with obvious distaste, "Unfortunate abode."

"I'm sorry about that, I'd let you go but I don't think the goblins would like that. Nor do I have a way to get you out of here. Do you have contact with the other dragons here?"

"There are others of my kind here?"

Harry turned to Gripshank, "How many dragons to you... employ?" he asked.

"That is normally classified information my lord."

"I'm not going to tell anyone, other than Thisilar here."

"Who?"

"The dragon."

The goblin looked totally gob smacked. "20" he answered in a daze.

"20, dragons of various breeds I think." Harry told the dragon.

The dragon appeared not to hear him, then suddenly let out a gush of flame, that seemed to go on a while, then he focused on Harry again, "I can reach out to my brothers and sisters, there are indeed dragons here, this is a great day. If I had realized I would have contacted them earlier."

"You can then, contact them that is?"

"We have a way to communicate with others of our kind that you humans have yet to discover, or at least HAD yet to discover."

"I won't tell anyone."

The dragon let out another giant gout of flame. "The others are content with their roles in life. I am also now more content, knowing that I will at least have company."

Harry was seriously contemplating just how cool it would be to be a Dragon Animagus; they were such intelligent and eternal beings. He smiled sheepishly when he realized just how much he was thinking like Hagrid. Then it suddenly occurred to him, why the hell shouldn't he be one. It was of course dependent on him having the power for such a massive change in his physical being, but given his new found knack for working directly with his magic... It could be possible, all he needed was somewhere with enough space to actually try it out. There was of course always the possibility he could be stuck during the change, but the benefits surely outweighed the risk on this occasion.

Oh and being spotted in the muggle world could be a problem as well.

"Thisilar, is there a way for dragons to ... not be noticed? Invisibility or something like that?"

The dragon pondered this for a moment, "When I was but a hatchling my mother told me a story that had been passed down from mother to clutch. There once existed a dragon of such abilities a king amongst us. A black drake that could remain invisible if he so wished, fly into the heavens and was an amazing warrior, that dragon was in fact one such as yourself."

"A human?"

"A source"

"A source?"

"A source of magic, you showed me your true state of being earlier when you protected the sharp toothed one that still cowers behind you. There have been legends of ones such as you, but not for a thousand years."

Harry blanched slightly, "A source of magic."

"The humans, they try to tame magic with ridiculous ritual and waiving of their twigs. I have seen the paltry power of the ones they bring to ensure the ..."

"What?"

"I am unsure of the word, protections perhaps, yes that will do. The protections of the vaults I guard. Their power is dim and unfocused. Your power is... unchained, alive and bright. As such was described to me by my mother."

Harry thought this over.

A cleared throat caused him to redirect his attention to the goblin who was looking scared witless in his wake. "Yes?" Harry asked, clearly thinking about something else.

"Chairman Fliptrask requests an audience with you Milord"

Harry nodded, "Could you bring me back down here afterwards, Thisilar and I are having a very interesting conversation."

"Of course Milord"

"Enough with the Milord's and stuff call me Harry." Harry said, already turning back to the large dragon. "I have to go for a while Thisilar, but I intend to return so you can continue to tell me more of this. Would that be okay?"

"As my lord commands." the dragon said, actually bowing and causing the goblin to have kittens, if such a thing was physically possible.

"If you will follow me Milord... Erh… Harry."

Harry nodded, still mulling this new information over. Not really taking much notice of what was going on around him. He did not even notice the trip back, or the fact his magic was holding him in cushioned place in the cart.

The goblin led him from the vault entrance to a set of quite grand stairs and up to the very top of the bank, which like most things in the Wizarding world was actually somewhat higher than the outside should allow.

He finally snapped out of it as he was led to a massive ebony door with dragon skull handles. Harry growled at the sight, his magic flared and they were replaced with grand gold handles.

Gripshank goggled at the change, but wisely kept his own council. A remarkable change had happened to the affable Harry Potter since his discussion with the dragon, or whatever he had been doing. Power was humming around him at an almost constant rate now, and it was raising every single hair on the small creature's body. Not to mention that when he had growled it had sent a shiver of fear straight to his heart.

"Chairman Fliptrask, may I introduce his Lordship Harry Potter."

"Thank you Gripshank. Milord, please come in and take a seat. I see you disliked my door decorations. Sorry about that they have been here for many years, some time before I took the post."

"Sorry, but I've just had a discussion with one of the things you were using as decoration. I took exception. I hope I can convince you to treat your dragons somewhat more hospitably." Harry said with a slight scowl.

Fliptrask blinked, "I think" he said slowly, "That is entirely possible My Lord."

"Please, just call me Harry."

"I understand ... Harry... that you were unaware of the reading that is due to be held here tonight?"

"That is correct." Harry said with a nod.

"I think perhaps, all things considered we should do a private reading before the event. I am sure you wish your- freedom, to be kept a secret."

"You know about the safe guards Dumbledore has put in place then?"

"You ARE important to the future of this world I believe. I don't know why, but prominent wizards such as Professor Dumbledore do not take such an interest in random students."

"It's funny, by focusing on me so much he's actually brought more attention down on me than if he'd just treated me normally, though I suppose this Boy-Who-Lived crap has something to do with it."

"Doubtless."

"Well I would indeed be grateful for a private reading, if that's acceptable. I can then sign anything that needs signing. I understand that I am able to do such things now. But I'm quite keen to go back to Thisilar and continue my conversation."

"You were… conversing with a dragon, may I ask how?"

"You can ask." Harry said with a smile to take the bite out of his words.

Fliptrask laughed slightly, "Very well. A man that likes his privacy, I can deal with that."

"Your aide asked what I think of your service. I have to say, other than the way you treat dragons, I like it."

"So you would be willing to keep us as your bank."

"Of course"

"This is wonderful news. I shouldn't tell you this but the combined Black/Potter trusts are substantial, if you were to remove them we would not be in trouble. Our investment portfolio would certainly suffer though."

"Oh yes, I remember reading something about the way banks made money now, though I would also like advice on how to do some investment of my own."

"I'm sure that can be arranged Milord... Sorry... Harry."

"Then Fliptrask, I think we're in business. Of course, I actually have no idea of my holdings."

"Really, we send out statements to your guardian every month."

"Who is my supposed guardian?"

"Why it's Professor Dumbledore."

"Now I'm of age, I should like those statements delivered to me instead, and any access that Dumbledore has to my accounts to be removed." Harry said with a horrible feeling in his gut.

"I can get you a statement now, if you have either your key or card on you." Fliptrask told him with a serious look on his face.

Harry handed over his key since it was closer to hand.

A few moments later a sheet of parchment appeared in the chairperson's in tray, which was then promptly handed to Harry.

He scanned it over, with an overwhelming feeling of relief. Nothing had been removed from his account at all since his parents had died, other than the removals he himself had made from his trust fund. He blew out a breath, "Thank god for small mercies." he said.

"I take it all is as it should be."

Harry nodded, "Thankfully yes. I had a horrible feeling for a minute there."

"Professor Dumbledore can occasionally be short sighted, but he is an honourable man." Fliptrask said, "But it is always a good thing to be sure." he finished with a smile. "Now the will"

Harry nodded and mentally steeled himself. "I can tell you Harry this is going to cause quite a stir." Fliptrask said with every sign on glee.

"How so?"

"For one thing you are the principle; Sirius Black has made you his sole Heir, Meaning that others that would normally be able to make a claim on the estate have not a leg to stand on."

"Who... Oh Mrs. Malfoy"

"Actually, Mr Malfoy Junior would be the most likely claimant. Old estates such as this are quite patriarchal."

"What of Goblins, what are you?" Harry asked curiosity getting the better of him.

"A wizard interested in the inner workings of the Goblin Nation?" Fliptrask asked.

"If it's rude, then I apologize, I am merely curious. I know a lot about the revolutions, but other than that I don't think any wizard actually knows diddlysquat about Goblins."

"You may very well be right. We are actually matriarchal. Our queen is very old, about two hundred years old, but when she passes one of her daughters will take her place. Our religion is also female led. But at the same time Males tend to run the business side of our nation."

"Fascinating" Harry said honestly. "I'd like to ask more at some point if that's alright."

"It would be a rare pleasure." Fliptrask admitted.

"Well back to the will."

"I can do a full reading or go over the highlights if you'd prefer. You don't strike me as one to stand on ceremony."

"I'm not, and I really am quite keen to talk to Thisilar again, then I have to go into Muggle London and use my card a bit I think."

"I could key your card to your full... wealth if you wish."

Harry nodded, "I think that could be useful. What's the limit on the card?"

"Limit?" Fliptrask asked as Harry retrieved the small black plastic card.

Harry handed it over, "Muggle cards usually have a spending limit, to make sure that people can't spend too much money and owe the issuer a lot of money they don't have. There are also the repayment interests to be taken into account."

Fliptrask's eyes lit up, "Interest hey. Spending limits, this is fascinating information. We had no idea, we only knew that they existed and seemed like a good idea."

"The thing is with a credit card is that normally you are spending money that you don't literally have on your person. In effect, they are normally used as short-term loans. Though there are some cards, called Debit Cards that are linked directly with the account they draw money from."

"Debit Card" Fliptrask said, taking notes on some parchment, "the interest rate for these?"

"Debit Cards virtually nothing unless you go over drawn. But with credit cards it can be anything from 9% APR, to 30%"

"APR?"

"Annual Percentage Rate, but this is where I've run out of information for you; I don't really understand that part of it myself."

"I think we can work with this all the same."

"Can I keep mine drawing directly from my funds" Harry said, nodding at the as yet unchanged card.

"Oh, sorry I was totally distracted for a moment there. Indeed and I think an inventors fee should be added also."

"I didn't really invent the idea." Harry told him.

"Still you brought it to my attention. You have no idea just how much money we could make from this idea." Fliptrask said excitedly.

Harry laughed, "Just keep my name out of it, or I'll be lynched when people start being unable to keep up with their payment plans."

"Well we can't let people get into too much debt with us, which I suppose is where these credit limits come in."

"Also card limits are partially based on the worth of someone, the amount they earn etcetera." Harry informed the wide-eyed goblin.

"I see." was the amused reply as Fliptrask ran Harry's card through a slot on his desk. There was a feel of magic in the air, which quickly dissipated. "Here Harry, this is your card back. We've already combined the Black vaults with the Potter Trust as per the instructions."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"Essentially Baron Black decided that the Black family should be merged with the Potter family, or engulfed would perhaps be a better description. Essentially all Black holdings are now Potter holdings other than the items listed in the will."

"Who gets what?" Harry wanted to know.

"Remus Lupin receives 50,000 galleons. The Weasley family receives 5,000 each. Professor Dumbledore gets the property Grimmauld place. Though I see no other sign of it in the holdings reports, the Weasley twins also get a number of interesting books from Baron Black's personal collection."

Harry smirked, no doubt Marauder type tomes.

"Narcissa Malfoy is given 25,000 galleons if she meets certain requirements. The divorce from Mr Malfoy being one, a signed affidavit to the effect that she is not a Death Eater and never has been, plus some other minor things... oh that's interesting, she must also agree to personally act as your social secretary."

"What?" Harry asked bemused.

"As a member of the Peerage, and a person of note on your own rights, well let's just say your social calendar could be quite busy. Someone such as Mrs. Malfoy could be very useful to you."

"Hmmm" Was all that Harry was willing to say to that.

"That's about it really, apart from a few minor amounts of money; everything else goes to you to be dissolved into the Potter Trust, which by itself was large, with the inclusion of the Black Estate. Let's just say you are probably the wealthiest young man in England."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Something else for people to make a fuss about." he sighed. "Oh well, not much I can do about it."

"You could in fact spend solidly from now until your twentieth birthday without making much of a dent thanks to your interest payments. Not to mention the long-term investments you have. You will certainly not want for anything for the rest of your natural life. Unless something very drastic happens, such as a complete crash in the market, even then you could probably weather the storm."

Harry laughed, "Well I don't think I'll do the solid spending thing, but I certainly have a few things I want."

"As any young man your age should." Fliptrask commented, "There is one other thing, a simple message."

Harry cocked an eyebrow.

"From Sirius, 'Harry have fun while you can and don't let it all get you down.'"

Harry smiled softly, he was right. His Godfather would want him to be happy. He had even said as much. "Thank you Chairman Fliptrask."

"Now I suppose you'll want to talk to your dragon friend"

"Alone if possible"

"I will have someone take you down and as long as you're sure of your safety... They will leave and pick you up at ...?"

"What time is it?"

"20 past 4"

"6 pm"

"The others mentioned in the will are due to arrive at that time." Fliptrask warned him.

"That's not going to be a problem," Harry said pulling up his hood, which at some point had fallen down.

"Ahh, I see. A most excellent enchantment" Fliptrask said admiringly. "Then I thank you for you time Milord. I hope to meet you again, any time you need to talk about anything please do contact me."

Harry smiled, "Thank you" he said.

Fliptrask rang a small bell and the large doors opened to show Gripshank waiting somewhat nervously.

"Yes I do believe I prefer your handles much better." Fliptrask commented as Harry left. Who laughed and followed Gripshank out of the room.

"Where to Milord?"

"Back to Thisilar please Gripshank."

-oOo-

"Well, the information you've given me will help a great deal Thisilar. I can't thank you enough" Harry said sometime later, "My ride is due back here any minute now, so I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short."

"I hope to speak to you once again Lord," the dragon rumbled.

"I as well, I think I will try my transformation in a few days time." Harry said thoughtfully.

"Once you do, you will know how to contact me," Thisilar said cryptically.

"So you're not going to tell me what all that flaming is about then?"

"Only that it covers great distances when needed."

"So why have you not contacted your family."

"I have none to contact."

"I'm sorry about that. I also have very little in the way of family, and those I have I wish I didn't know."

The dragon bowed before him again, "Go well, and feel the lift beneath your wings young dragon hearted one."

Harry bowed back, "May your fire always be hot Thisilar."

Just then, the rumbling and screeching of an incoming cart warned them of impending visitors. Harry pulled up his hood again and his face was immediately unrecognizable. The shadows seemed to leap up around him and hid him from view.

Thisilar chuckled to himself as the weak sharp-toothed creature looked around in puzzlement.

"Milord?" Gripshank called out.

"I'm here," Harry, said stepping out from the shadows and scaring the living heck out of the goblin.

Refusing to clutch his heart, either of them, Gripshank bowed, "You transport Milord."

"Thank you Gripshank." Harry said, stepping into the cart. The truth was he could quite possibly leave via the method he had gotten to London in the first place. He just was not sure he would not damage the wards though and did not want to risk hundreds of people's money just so he could make a quick exit.

He spent the ride just enjoying the rush of speed combined with ups, downs, twists and turns. Getting off the other end with a wide smile, he walked into the lobby and came to a stand still as he spotted the white hair and beard of his headmaster. The old wizard turned around and looked right at him, Harry held his breath. Then the venerable mans gaze continued unabated and he breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, his hood was doing its job. Not wanting to push his luck, he made his way confidently through the quite lobby and into the cool evening air.

He took a breath of sweet, mostly fresh, air. He had been down in the vaults of Gringotts for the last few hours and most of the day had passed him by. Thisilar was an intelligent conversationalist and possibly, he had found one of the few sources of information available about his new status. Though apparently it was not that new, he had just been unlocked as it were. His full potential reached because of his bully of an uncle. He would have to find some way of thanking him properly, one that did not include the man waking up with purple hair or, no hair at all come to think of it.

Harry meandered through Diagon Alley, slightly disappointed that the twins had obviously closed up for the reading, and that most of the shops were in fact closing. Which he supposed was likely to be happening out in the muggle part of London as well.

That did not deter him though; he had not been out at night for quite some time, certainly not since becoming a 'teen'.

He walked to the entrance of Diagon Alley, reached out and tapped the correct brick. The entranceway came into view and he walked through it and into the pub that served as perimeter guard. Ignoring the customers in the pub itself, he walked to the front entrance and out into muggle London.

Smiling slightly he pulled back his hood and picked a random direction.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Harry walked up to the cash machine and looked at it warily. For one thing, he had never actually used one before. For another he did wonder if the Goblins had managed to interface with the Muggle device without doing something that would draw undue attention.

He slid his card into the correct slot, for which he was grateful, and tapped in his pin number as requested. The screen wavered slightly until a new one appeared showing the Gringotts dragon logo. There was a choice of amounts to withdraw. He honestly was not sure how much a night out on the town was going to cost him, so he picked 300 pounds. He idly tapped his fingers on the display until his cash dispensed. He quickly tucked it and his card away, casting an alarm spell on his wallet. Just in case.

He turned and walked a few steps from the cash machine and looked around the hubbub of Muggle London. He was not in fact that sure of where he was; he had just picked a direction and walked, hoping on a bus along the way. Having a late dinner in a restaurant and wasting away a few hours.

A few people seemed to be moving in one direction so he decided to follow them.

A few minutes later and a walk down a few alleyways they came upon an entrance to what appeared to be a Night Club. Something he had heard about from his cousin. Dudley and his friends occasionally tried their luck with the bouncers. Dudley had a supposedly full proof fake ID he used to gain entry. Harry tried to picture it clearly in his mind. He had in fact only seen it once, but with his new organized mind, it was not that difficult to bring to his minds eye.

He created a duplicate, replacing Dudley's name for his own and hoped it was only an over 18's club and not a 21 and up type of club. He noticed that the men around him were dressed in much the same fashion as himself, whilst the women were dressed in showy and in some cases barely decent clothing. This suited his libido just fine thanks.

He cast an eye over the girls that he particularly liked, smiling as he caught a few eyes. They did not immediately turn around and slap him, so he supposed he must have been doing something right. His new status came with it a certain confidence. It was not as if even the bouncers could actually hurt him and that confidence rolled off him in almost physical waves. He stood tall and proud with an air of danger and mystery about him that was quite a heady combination to most females. Not that he was actually aware of that fact yet.

He virtually ignored the few come hither looks he was receiving thanks to inexperience, and made his way to the front of the queue in all good time. Apparently, they had not long opened; either that or it was a popular club

"ID" a giant of a man demanded.

'Wow, its Goyle senior' Harry thought to himself wryly. "You know I bet you've got a lovely singing voice." Harry said impudently as he flashed his id at the man. Eliciting a few giggles from a gaggle of girls just behind him.

A grunt was his only reply and a hand firmly pushing him into the clubs interior. Harry rolled his eyes at the rough handling, but he had had much worse than a playful shove. Therefore, he meandered in through the entranceway, paying the cover charge with a crisp twenty and getting depressingly little change in return.

"Christ I should've just danced in the street" he muttered. He ignored the coat check, his coat was enchanted to deal with heat much greater than a club could provide. Besides his magic would keep him at a constant temperature anyway, all he had to do was think it. He thought, or hoped. Because just about everyone else was shedding their coats like they had plague on them or something and giving him strange looks in the process. Not that he cared much, it was not as if he was not used to people looking at him funny. He went up a few flights of stairs and walked into an almost physical wall of sound that made him smile.

This was not anything like the music he had been hearing in the world of wizards. Which was more like rock and roll, this was a synthetic sound with tribal leanings, and it thrummed through his diaphragm and shook his teeth in volume. His smile widened when he saw various good-looking girls writhing to the music. This place was really growing on him.

He almost glided over to the bar and waited his turn with more patience than anyone else was displaying. This alone made sure he stood out to the people-tending bar; a cute blonde-haired woman drifted over to him and shot him a smile. "What do you want?"

"Pardon?"

"What do you want?"

Harry just looked at her. So she pointed back at the bar. Understanding dawned on his face, then indecision, drinking had not really been something he had partaken in before, unless you counted Butterbeer which he did not, he shrugged, "Anything." he said as loudly as possible.

The blonde shot him a surprised look, then ducked down to grab a brightly colored bottle, "TRY THIS," she yelled.

Harry just nodded his thanks and handed over another twenty, which was taken and changed into less in the blink of an eye. Then she was gone, moving onto the next customer.

Harry really did not want to think what working in this place was like, frenetic, deafening and possible harmful to the health. Then it occurred to him he had just spent four quid on a bottle of drink. He took a sip, swilling it around in his mouth as the new taste hit him. Strangely sweet with a slight kick, he turned the bottle and tried to read what was in it, he was just about able to make out Vodka when the light changed to a different color and made the text invisible. He shrugged and chugged down the entire bottle. In a flash, his friendly neighbourhood bartender was back. He held up two fingers and some cash.

She flashed him a smile, grabbed two bottles, and took his money. Harry waived off the change and walked away from the bar. Just soaking up the sights and sounds, or rather did some drooling over the girls. True they were mostly about two years older than he was, but that did not much matter to him. No one knew him here, no one knew his age, future, past or anything else for that matter.

Unless you counted that blonde over in the corner who was looking at him with a totally gob smacked expression on her face.

"Oh shit," Harry muttered as the biggest gossip in his year made her way over to him. He could not help noticing however that she had a very nice pair of legs shown to full effect by her minuscule skirt.

"Hey Lav." he said almost resigned to his fate.

"Harry?" she yelled.

He merely nodded; she grabbed him by the arm and led him away from the bar and through a couple of doors. The noise level noticeably dropped off. "Harry" she repeated.

"That's me" he replied, glad he could actually make out what she was saying now.

"What are you doing here?" she asked aghast.

"A guy can't go clubbing?" he asked with a surprisingly charming smile.

"How'd you get in?" she asked

"I could ask the same thing" Harry shot back.

She picked up her skirt and did a twirl. "Short skirt, equates to age to your common garden bouncer."

"What can I say; my natural charisma must have gotten through to him." Harry said with a smirk.

She did a sort of double take, "Are you sure that's you?" she said with a smile creeping up on her face.

"Last time I checked, but if you want to make sure..." he said leadingly with a wink.

She laughed and smacked his shoulder playfully. "Christ Harry, you're not acting like you usually do. Last year you were pretty much a wet weekend."

Harry shrugged, "I decided that life's too short. It was time to have some fun."

"Good, you've got a nice smile. Hey where are your glasses?" she asked, her blue eyes meeting his emerald gaze.

"I wear glasses?" he asked with mock horror.

"Pretty much your call sign I'd say."

"I thought that was the ugly scar."

"So cleverly hidden with a honking great big plaster"

He just smirked, "Not many other ways to cover it up" he admitted after a moment.

"Well if you want I might be able to put a bit of make up on it for you... Oh, don't be such a baby; it's only a bit of make up."

"Do you honestly see me being able to face Ron when he finds out that I've worn makeup, I think I'll stick with the 'honking' plaster, mind you I could likely take it off in here. Not many of our sort around."

"Actually Parvati is around too."

"Trust me to pick this club huh?" he said with a chuckle.

"Something wrong with our company Potter?" Lavender asked with a frown.

"Absolutely not, I couldn't hope to choose two more gorgeous Griffs; I was just trying to get away from the ... magical world for a while."

Lavender smiled at him, Harry thought she was gorgeous when she smiled. He was dreading the stories that would doubtless abound when they got back to school. "That's alright then, sorry that your secret clubbing has been ruined."

"Just do me a favour; let's keep this between ourselves, anyone else with your tonight?"

"Nope, just me and Parv"

"Then perhaps I could ask for your company tonight. I've got a few quid burning a hole in my pocket and not enough people to spend it on?" Harry said with his best smile.

"Not backwards in coming forward are you Harry."

Harry just cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Come on let's see what Parv has to say about this. She wasn't best pleased with you after the ball you know."

"I don't blame her, I was a shit head."

"HARRY!" she said, once again slapping his shoulder.

"What?" he asked confused.

"You swore."

"Is that such a shock"

"You're a bit of a dark horse you, aren't you?" she said with a coy smile, leading him back into the thunderous dance floor.

She weaved her way through the crowd on the floor itself expertly as Harry sauntered effortlessly through. Somehow, they felt his potential and just moved out of the way, a fact that did not go amiss to the sharp eyed Gryffindor.

"Hey Parv, guess who I found" She said leaning right into her friends ear and shouting. Just then, the crowd separated enough for Harry to catch up and the Indian girl's eyes shot open.

"HARRY!" she virtually squealed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Harry shook his head and pointed at his ear.

She reached out, dragged him closer, and shouted in to his ear. "What are you doing here?"

"Counting Coup" Harry replied with a laugh.

"What?"

"Never mind, I just fancied a dance or something different for a change, I've heard my cousin going on about clubs thought I'd come to London and check one out."

"Oh, wicked. It's great to see you."

"Yeah, look I wanted to apologize for the ball you know during the tournament"

She waived him off, "It's fine, old news."

He flashed a smile that had her knees weakened.

"As long as you dance with me tonight." she went on to add.

Harry nodded, "I was wondering if I could join you two actually, make the night my treat."

Her eyes widened and she shared a look with her blonde friend. Then nodded, "Sure"

"Then what can I get you?"

"Whatever you're drinking is fine for me," Parv told him.

"Lav?" he asked.

"Same as" she replied. He walked away and the two girls went into a huddle.

"Did you see him, isn't he hot now?" Lav said slightly dreamily.

"That ship sailed a while ago for me, besides one of them will end up with Hermione."

"Maybe; in the meantime though." Lav replied with a saucy smile.

"You are saying that you want to snog the boy that lived?"

Lav bobbed her eyebrows up and down with a big grin.

"Hell I might do as well," Parv said challengingly.

Lav looked at her seriously for a minute, and then shrugged, "Whatever Parv, he's only a man and we've been friends for ages. I say let's have our fun tonight and worry about it in the morning."

"LAV!"

She just smiled repentantly at her friend.

Harry arrived back and handed them each a bottle of the same Alco-pop that he was downing by the bottle. He was already on his third and he had only been in the club ten minutes.

"Shit this is alcohol!" Lav said in surprise. "I thought you were drinking pop or something."

"I can get something else if you like."

She shook her head, "No this is fine, it's just that normally the bar staff is harder to convince than the bouncers."

Harry shrugged, "I suppose I look a bit older than most my age. Now I'm not a dwarf at least," he said with a self-deprecating smile.

"You've filled out a bit too." Lavender commented eying him like a side of beef. "But aren't you boiling your arse off in that coat."

Harry shook his head, reached out, took her hand, and pulled it inside his jacket. Her eyes shot open.

"What?" Parvati asked wondering what the fuss was.

Harry repeated the effort with her and she looked surprised.

"Who'd you get to do that for you?"

Harry just smiled.

"Ohh, the boy that lived has secrets." Lav put in.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Can you NOT call me that. It's kind of redundant anyway don't you think. I mean it's obvious I lived because hey, here I am." He added a smile to take any bite out of his words. The two attractive girls laughed at his humour.

"So who's going to make me look good on the dance floor first?" he asked with a charming smile.

The two girls shared a glance then both got up and dragged him onto the dance floor. He smiled as he began to try to dance to the music. He danced somewhat spastically at first.

"Just relax Harry or you'll break something." Lavender told him.

"I've never danced like this before. Hell I barely danced at the ball," Harry said apologetically.

"It's all about confidence. Hell Harry you move more fluidly than anyone I have ever met during DA. Try to just use that." Parvati added.

"Oh great, so I just have to imagine I'm fighting everyone here and I'll be fine then"

Of course, the entire conversation was being held at the top of their voices and they were mostly leaning into each other. This was drawing some jealousy from some of the men surrounding them. Especially some of the more drunk ones.

Some one that thought he was particularly impressive and fancied himself a Romeo grabbed Lavender and started to force her into dancing with him.

"Hey get off."

Harry frowned, magic leapt to his command, but he forced it back down before he drew the wrong sort of attention to himself. Instead he grabbed the thuggish mans arm and swung him around.

"She doesn't want to dance with you," he said in a low voice that still managed to carry over the music.

"Fuck off twerp" the man, snarled into his face.

Harry waived a hand in front of his face. "What happened, fall into a brewery?" he asked sardonically.

"Keep the packy I'll take the blonde" the thug went on to say.

Harry's eyes went hard, "I think you need to fuck off right the hell now," he said.

Which was apparently too much for the mans pride to take, so he took a swing at Harry. Harry ducked under the punch and darted a sharp left into his armpit hard enough to elicit a slight crack. He followed through as he had been taught by a hard life to do. His heel slammed down on the mans knee sending him to the floor, "You alright Lav, Parv?" he asked as the man went down like a sack of potatoes. "I can't believe he said that." he added.

"It's okay Harry I'm used to it." Parvati told him sadly.

He frowned with anger leaking from his every pore, "Well you bloody well shouldn't be." he told her forcefully. She smiled at him, somewhat dreamily.

Just then one of the thugs equally brain dead friends decided to step in, catching Harry on the chin. Despite his relatively small size, Harry did not go down. He had taken much nastier than that. The pain was also easily manageable after being Crucio'd by the Dark Lord himself. So he span with the momentum and whipped his hand around to back hand the second man so hard he went down and stayed down.

Which was when, of course, the bouncers decided to show up.

"Knew you'd be trouble-," the man from the door said.

"Oh joy, its Goyle the second." Harry commented, causing Lavender and Parvati to titter, thus drawing the bouncer's attention to them as well.

"Right you three get out," he commanded.

Harry swigged the rest of his bottle and nodded, "The clientele here sucks anyway." he said as a final rejoinder and took the girls by a hand each and led them to the coat check. As they got their coats under the watchful eye of the bouncers Harry eyed the Goyle look alike who was taking a little too much interest in Lavenders legs for his liking. He suspicions were confirmed when the large man lent forward and whispered in her ear. She recoiled from whatever he said and Harry got in his face. "I think you should back off mate."

Goyle-alike eyed him like a bug under the microscope. Lavender grabbed Harry's hand and led him away from the staring match, Parvati following up the rear.

Once they were out of the club, she rounded on him. "Harry are you insane, that guy would've crushed you like a bug."

"What ever he said upset you," Harry said by way of explanation. He started to say something else but Parv grabbed him by the lapels and kissed him somewhat forcefully, her tongue slipping in his mouth for a moment.

"Thank you for standing up for me. I hate racists too," she said breaking away from the kiss.

Harry had just enough time to decide that kissing apparently did not actually taste like salt. When Lavender mirrored her friend's actions, only for longer, he found his arms wrapping themselves around her slender waist and pulling her to himself as he actually had time to kiss her back.

She moaned into is mouth and Parv rolled her eyes at them, with a smile on her face. "Come on hormones, its bloody cold out here."

Lavender broke the kiss, "Wow" she breathed with a silly grin. Then she backed away and shook herself slightly. "Not cold from where I'm standing." she commented in an aside to her best mate.

Harry gave himself a little shake and got his wits about him. "Shall we find somewhere else ladies?" he said. "Or if the rewards the same, we could go back in there and I'll rough up that bouncer."

"You wish" Lavender said with a giggle that was taken up by her friend.

"Fervently" he said shooting them both a wink. "But the night is young, I've escaped my jail cell for a night and I'm looking to have some fun. So- Do either of you gorgeous creatures know of another club?"

They shared a look, conversing with a single look as only two true friends can. Then Parvati sniffed and smiled, "Burger van!" she said with a smile.

"I swear she's part blood hound!" Lav said with a small chuckle.

"So I'll treat you both to some burgers and then we'll find a club, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan." they said together.

Harry laughed, feeling freer than he had in some time. It was good just hanging with two pretty girls and the kissing had not hurt either. Though he doubted he would get a repeat of that. They set off with him trailing slightly behind, giving him many opportunities to check them out. Parvati was slender with long legs that seemed to go on forever, while Lavender was more curvaceous, still with incredible legs but a hell of a cleavage to match. Frankly, they were both gorgeous, and if he had not been in such a funk last year, he would have doubtless noticed before. However, school issue Mary Jane's did not do it for legs like a pair of high heels and the robes were not the most flattering of things to wear either.

"Enjoying the view?" Lavender shot over her shoulder with a cheeky smile full of mirth.

Instead of the blush she had been thinking would happen. Harry just nodded with a wide smile. "Oh hell yeah." he said, causing them to start tittering again.

Enjoying their enjoyment even if it was at his expense Harry allowed himself to be led to the nearest Burger van. Once there he got their orders and paid as any semi gentleman would, only Semi because the thoughts floating through his mind were not genteel.

"This isn't half bad," he said taking a bite out of his double cheeseburger.

"Burger vans are an important part of the clubbing experience," Parvati told him mock seriously.

"Is this the first time you've been out clubbing?" Lavender asked.

Harry nodded, in part because he was stuffing his face, and because he was not sure whether to be embarrassed by his lack of experience.

"We should definitely do this again at some point then" Parv said.

"Hopefully next time I won't get into a fight. I swear the day I have a boring day is the one in which I'm dead."

The girls laughed, but he was partially serious, he could not go anywhere apparently without something happening. Even a trip to Gringotts had turned out to be a production, with talking dragons, wills and all. However, the day certainly had some benefits.

"So Harry" Parvati said, chucking her rubbish in the bin. "Who was the best kisser, me or Lav?"

Okay, he was SO not falling for that one. He gulped his food and said, "You both totally blew my socks off. But for a proper comparison I'd have to have more samples."

Parvati blinked at his reply while Lavender died laughing. Then Parv got a twinkle in her eye, "Then I think we should give the man what he wants. Don't you Lav?"

Lavender stopped laughing, "It's only fair, for our savoir of course."

Harry chuckled missing the look that passed between the two girls.

"So," Harry said slapping his hands together for emphasis. "What's next?"

"There's a club just down the street, it's a bit more select than the one we were just in. But pricey." Lavender informed him.

Harry shrugged. "I'll cover it, how far away is it, and do we need a taxi?"

"Nah, we can walk it."

Harry pointedly looked at her heels.

"Checking out my legs Harry?" she asked teasingly.

"Honestly, you two the heats blistering" Parvati commented wryly.

They all laughed.

"Actually I was just wondering how you can walk anywhere in those." he said.

Parvati held up a leg, with an even higher pair of heels on, Harry eyed her long leg with a hint of a sexy smile building on his face. "You just get used to it I suppose."

"You know" Harry said slowly, "That gives me an idea," he said with an evil smile growing.

"I'm not your size honey." she shot back, causing him to bark out a laugh.

"No I was just wondering how the Slytherin's would like to be forced to wear a pair of stiletto's all day."

"Tracey Davis wouldn't have a problem with it, you should see some of the stuff she wears in her off time, and mind you she has got amazing legs." Lavender said thoughtfully.

"I'll have to check that out, for scientific research you understand. But I was actually thinking of the guys." Harry said, "I think it's about time someone took up the Weasley twin's banner don't you. Of course I'm trusting you two to keep this to yourself you understand," he paused, "In fact I'd be really grateful if you didn't mention to any of the older generation that you've seen me out and about. They like to keep me under lock and key."

"So we gathered from the Jail cell comment earlier." Parvati said with a soft smile. "Don't worry mums the word."

"Is it, is it really, I always thought it'd be more interesting than that. You know God spoke the word and thus the universe was created. Can't really imagine him saying, 'MUM' and bang there it all is."

"You can tell you were brought up by Muggles. Wizards aren't what you could call Christian." Lavender noted.

Harry shrugged, "Apparently I would've gotten a fat head otherwise."

"Probably true, with all that Boy Who Lived stuff." Parv said, tapping her chin in thought.

"You're really cute when you do that; you know that right." Harry said with a fully-fledged smirk.

"If you think I'm that cute, where's my kiss. I mean the ball was a bust you could at least make up for it."

"And don't forget me" Lavender told him, "It wouldn't be fair to let her get ahead."

"You're keeping score?" Harry said.

Parv rolled her eyes at him; got up from the bench she sat on and placed herself in his lap, then waited. "Well?"

"A guy's got to do what guys got to do" Harry said before kissing her.

Once they had stopped, he smiled at her. "You know the only experience I've had of kissing was a somewhat depressing affair. This is MUCH better. No tears either."

Lavender took her friends place, grabbed his hand and put it on her thigh, "Shut up and kiss me."

Harry happily did as he was asked.

-oOo-

Several hours, two clubs and quite a lot of drink later Harry found himself sat on the banks of the Thames with Lavender on his lap, her lips caressing his own and their tongues entwined. He was really getting into this kissing thing. From the way Lavender was acting he was sure he was doing it right as well. The sun was well on its way to rising now, and Parv had drifted off to sleep beside them, having had her fair share of kissing as well.

Lavender shifted in his lap and laughed in the back of her throat. "Is this getting to you Harry?" she asked teasingly.

"Oh, sorry" Harry said blushing slightly, "It's just... well you're really gorgeous and ..."

She shut him up with another drawn out and much more passionate kiss than before. "You know," she said after taking a breath. "I wouldn't mind doing this again. Strictly casual though. Frankly with the way, your life goes I don't think I could handle being your girlfriend. But I might let you take me to Hogsmeade."

Harry tensed up, "Not Madam Puddle foots or whatever it's called?"

She shook her head, "The unholy love child of a tea bag and a doily? Hell no. But there are a few good places for a damn good snog, and if you're really good I might let your hands wander a bit." she said with a teasing smile.

"You're such a slut," a sleepy voice from their side said.

"Trust me, I've had his hands touching my leg most of the night, I wouldn't mind a bit if they wandered right now in fact. He's got nice hands." Lavender said to her friend with a smug grin.

"Anyone would think he's a leg man. I've noticed his hand on my thigh a few times to. Do you like legs Harry?" she asked with a teasing grin.

"I like everything" Harry answered honestly. "Especially on you two"

"Well, this is a one time thing for me Harry. I've enjoyed it and all, and I'm certainly getting another kiss from you before we go, but I kind of have my eye on someone. Not to mention that you tend to be kind of focused at school."

Harry smirked, "Not so much this year I'm guessing."

"You're not going to turn into the moody git you were last year are you?" Lavender asked.

"Lavender!" Parvati said aghast.

"No, it's a fair question, I was a dick last year wasn't I?" Harry said with a smile, "To answer your question though, no hell no. I'm out to enjoy myself this year, make the snakes lives hell and generally cause mayhem where ever I go." he said with an unrepentant grin.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. What about the DA, you going to run that this year?"

"I'm hoping we'll get a decent teacher this year. It is an outside chance I will admit, but I am hopeful. But I can still run the club either way I suppose" Harry looked over the glittering waters of the Thames, idly playing with Lavender's knee cap as he did so, thinking hard.

Lavender looked at her friend with her pupils dilated.

Parvati smirked at her somewhat turned on look and shook her head.

"I think I could rustle up quite a few spells they aren't likely to come up in the curriculum anytime soon." he said with an evil smile.

"Do I want to know where you learned them from?" Parvati asked, seeing as though her friend seemed incapable of speech at that moment in time.

The girl in question leaned her head into the crook of Harry's neck and laid some kisses along his jaw line, Harry smiled down at her, his hand gliding up the smooth skin of her thigh, which in turn caused her to purr at him. "No I don't think you would want to know," he said to Parv.

"Well it's... holy cow ... its 6am. We should really get back to my house before my parents wake up. Lav, Lav?"

"In a minute" Lavender purred.

Parvati shook her head, leaned round and planted a hot kiss on Harry, while grabbing her friend's hand, then dragged her off his lap. Lavender quickly darted back and planted one on him but good. "Remember what I said. I also know ALL the best places in Hogwarts." she said with a sexy smile before she was dragged off.

"Hey, do you guys want walking home?" Harry called after them.

"No thanks, Harry but it was sweet of you to ask. We're not actually that far from here." Parv told him with a smile. "Thanks for a wonderful evening Harry."

"Hmm definitely" Lavender put in.

Harry smiled somewhat smugly. The evening had worked out pretty damn well even if he did say so himself. He settled back into the bench a bit, stretching out his legs a bit. As light as Lavender was she had sat on his legs for about an hour, though the kissing had pretty much taken his mind off his dead legs. He winced a bit, then stood and shook out the leaden weight of his cramped up muscles.

He checked his watch; he had just enough time to pop home for a shower, a change of clothing some breakfast and then nip back in time for WWW's opening time. If he got a move on, he could probably be out of the house before anyone noticed he was there. Though he would have to get Hedwig to take his 'I'm ok' note to the order, he was supposed to report in every couple of days after all.

Darting a quick look around he noticed he was alone and no one appeared to be watching so with a swirl of magic and a projection of his will he was back in his 'flat' in Surrey.

Whereupon he was immediately set upon by a very worried owl

-oOo-  
At first, he had been in a rush to get ready to go and visit the red haired troublemakers. He had then become a sidetracked with his owl who had demanded some attention. Then he thought about sending an owl to Lav and Parv, to thank them for the great evening. However, he decided against it. It was not as if he could make sure they would actually get the mail without it being 'monitored' in some fashion.

This set him off on a tangent thinking about a more secure way of communicating. There was a spell for sending a short message to someone using a similar method to creating a Patronus, but even then, it was only good for very short messages and somewhat visible. He did not want someone seeing prongs gallivanting over to wherever the Patel's lived. Though he was fairly sure, he was going to teach the DA the spell. It would be very useful for calling for help in a desperate situation.

A few hours later and he had the contents of his pockets laid out on the large desk he had created the day before. What he needed was something unobtrusive, something mundane. Something many people might carry around on their persons. He had a set of keys, quite a lot of small change and a Zippo lighter he had nicked from Dudley. Just because he could truth be told, it was a simple brass affair, from when the fat git used to smoke. Before he had gotten more interested in boxing and quit.

Talking of which, he was bloody well sixteen now and it would drive everyone mad, so why not. With a flick of his wrist, a brand new carton of cigarettes appeared in his hand. He unwrapped it, and took out the silver foil, then extracted a cigarette, he somewhat awkwardly put one in his mouth, and then he flicked his Zippo open and lit the end. Which resulted in one hell of a coughing fit, but along with that was quite a head rush. Blinking to clear the tears from his eyes, he took another puff and found he actually quite liked it. It was not that unusual for wizards to smoke, magic had a way of countering the negative effects of the cigarettes themselves. However, most smoked pipes or nasty looking hand made cigarettes, possibly because the majority of wizards still lived sometime back in the eighteen hundreds. He tucked the cigarette into a corner of his mouth and turned the solid brass lighter round in his palm.

It was small, easily fitted into a pocket. Unobtrusive and would not immediately be obvious as a communications device. Now he just had to figure out a way of turning a common garden lighter into a way of talking to others. Then it hit him. Fire, what other form of communication used fire in the Wizarding world.

The Floo.

What he needed was some floor powder to inspect. Another thought and a packet of powder landed on his desk. He pulled out a notebook and began to write reams of calculations, carefully noting each step he took. Every idea he rejected and what could work. Eventually he had a workable idea and a spell that could do the work.

He cast the spell wandlessly, making sure he actually performed the spell itself and not using his more esoteric powers.

He held his breath and rolled the wheel the opposite way to which it was supposed to go, sending sparks and some conjured powder into the flame. It turned green, then promptly exploded in his hand. Luckily, his magic flared to protect him, shielding him at the last moment.

He shook his head. Perhaps the Floo was protected in some way, or required a properly created fireplace to use. He seemed to remember to remember that one had to be specially hooked up to the network.

Therefore, that option was out. Nevertheless, perhaps he could use the basic idea behind the Floo as a basis. Trouble was he had no idea how it worked. Nothing in his newly gained memories had any information on the subject either. This meant he would have either to reverse engineer the process or find out an easier source of information.

He blew out a breath from pursed lips and shook his head. On the other hand, he could cheat. However, he was hoping to be able to get the twins to market this idea. They could certainly do so; they had the practical understanding and the premises to mass-produce. If they required anything, he would provide it. This was something that could be very useful. Though he would loose the secret aspect, it was still something he could use.

"Shit!" he commented as his mind came up blank. Organized mind or not, a wealth of new knowledge or not he was still stymied.

Of course, he could just will some into being and get the twins to reverse engineer them. If he concentrated on making that possible, using a similar method to the Floo itself.

He tried it, creating 10 identical lighters. He picked one up and once again wheeled it the wrong way, a bright blue flame appeared in the chimney and held steady. He allowed himself to relax somewhat. Now he just had to get the twins to duplicate them. If that was even possible.

He grabbed his leather coat; he hadn't the heart to recycle it back into energy. He quite liked it and it seemed to be quite the lucky charm considering the night before.

A smile appeared on his face. If he concentrated, he could still feel Lavender and Parvati's lips on his. It was a most pleasant memory and one he had ensured was filed for prosperity in his 'good times' room.

He tossed on his coat, did it up and drew up the hood. Then once again, with a brightly colored swirl of energy he was off to Diagon Alley. Not that he saw the after effect of his unusual transportation. He after all was already arrived by time the effect was disappearing.

He arrived in the same alleyway he had used before. He darted a quick look around to make sure he had not been noticed. Then sure he was undetected he stalked off into the Alley itself.

It did not take long to find the bright green shop front, which appeared to be the busiest shop in the Alley by all the custom they were doing. Which left Harry with a bit of a quandary, he was hoping the store would be empty, he should have known better he supposed.

He pushed his way to the front of the shop where he could see one head of flaming hair. It turned out to be George, possibly. It could quite easily have been Fred. Who knew, frankly he doubted if the twins themselves could tell each other apart.

"George?" Harry said.

"Yes young man, how can we help you today?"

Harry leaned forward, causing George to do the same. "It's Harry, can we talk privately."

George, god blesses him, showed no outward sign of recognition. Instead, he merely said, "Of course we can talk over your idea good sir. If you'll just follow me to the office." and led Harry to the back room and away from the mad crowds.

Using secret Twin Communication Fred appeared in the office himself. It was a comfortable looking area with a door leading to a private lab and a few couches littered around the place. It was quite a big room actually.

"Harry?" George said uncertainly.

Harry threw back his hood, "Hey Fred or George." he said with a wide grin.

"Jesus Harry what are you doing out?" Fred said.

"Well, Fred or George. I'm tired of being tied down to one place so I'm making a break of independence. I'd be most grateful if you kept that to yourself though. Otherwise, DD will find a way to lock me in permanently."

"DD?"

"Dumbledore" Harry said shooting the twin in question a smirk.

"Well, what can we do for our favourite business partner?"

"Well, Fred or George. I've got something to show you and I'm hoping you can inspect it and work out how it works, and then I think we can market it."

"What is it?" George asked.

Harry fished in his pocket, "Unspecified twin one, it's a communications device." He said tossing it to him.

"Unspecified Twin Two, I've got one for you too. To use it, open it, and turn the wheel upwards and the connection is opened. Then speak the name of the person you wish to speak to and it will attempt to connect. It should buzz when you've got an incoming call."

"If you know all that, why don't you know how it works Harry?"

"It's easy Gred; I wasn't exactly myself when I made that. Oh and PLEASE, keep my name out of this okay. Silent Partner here."

"What do you mean not yourself?"

"I was pissed Forge, totally pie eyed drop down drunk" he said lying glibly.

"Can't remember a thing?" Forge asked.

"Not a bit of it. I made a few though. So you can have those and this one. The magic just knows who you are and who you're calling. A bit like Floo I suppose."

"But you're not supposed to do magic outside of school" Gred said.

"I've found that unless the ministry is out to get me I can indeed do magic. My place is heavily warded." he said thinking on his feet. "But again..."

"Keep it to ourselves." Forge said thinking hard, "I can see how this would be right useful though. A portable Floo connection."

"It's not, floo that is. That much I do know. Try it."

Forge flicked his lighter open and lit it; nothing happened other than a normal flame.

"No the other way, roll the wheel the other way." Harry said.

"Oh" he said and extinguished the flame and tried again. This time the flame turned bright almost sapphire blue. "George"

'Well at least I know which one is which now.' Harry said taking careful note of their individual magically signatures.

"Oh!" George said as his lighter buzzed energetically in his hand. "The girls would love this thing," he said with a smirk.

Harry snorted a laugh. Causing the twins to look at him. "I'm not 10 guys, come on!"

"Sorry Harry, I guess our little Harrikins is growing up" Fred said with a very fake sniff.

Harry chuckled at their antics. "So what say you twins two? Can you do it?"

"I don't see why not. Got that spare. We may have to take it totally apart," George, said thinking hard.

"The amount of money this baby could earn us!" Fred said with glee. Then looked at Harry, "And out business partner of course."

"Well I think the flint will run out too." Harry said lazily lighting a cigarette and leaning back in his chair in a haze of smoke.

"Since when did you start smoking?" George asked after sharing a look with his brother.

Harry shrugged, "I'm going through my rebellious phase," he said with an impudent smile.

"Hmmm, something tells me missing school this year is going to be a drag." Fred commented.

"True, which brings me to the other reason I'm here."

"There's more? You've just given us a couple of months work."

"This one's easy." Harry shot back, crossing one leg over the other. "I intend to pick up where you and my father left off this year."

"How so?" Fred and George asked at the same time.

"The fine art of Pranking" Harry said laughing. "Is to be resurrected in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts."

"I don't know Harry," Fred said with a hidden grin. "It's a difficult art to master."

"Many have tried and failed." George added.

"Only a few have come close to filling ours, and the marauders shoes."

"Perhaps I should describe my linage." Harry said with a puff on his cigarette. "My father was Prongs, My godfather was Padfoot and my good friend is Mooney. Wormtail can go hang though."

"You're the son of a marauder?" George asked excitedly.

Harry nodded, "So you see it's in my blood. I wasn't interested before. I was far too serious, but I've decided to... be more laid back this year."

"But what about Voldemort?" Fred had to ask, only wincing slightly as he said the dreaded name.

"The Dork Lard? I don't think he'll make a move until Christmas time at least, maybe Halloween. Plenty of time to make the snakes lives a living prank in the meantime."

The twins choked on his new name for the most feared Dark Lord of the last century, perhaps more. "Is he sane do you think?" George asked his brother.

Fred shook his head. "Nah, I think our Harry has lost the plot."

"Yep" Harry inserted. "I said to you when I gave you the money for this little venture of yours that we'd need some fun in our lives. Well I stand by that and furthermore say to hell with fear, on to the fun stuff."

"Totally bananas"

"A sandwich short of a picnic basket."

"A basket short I'd say."

"So you up for supplying me with some goodies or what?" Harry asked.

The twins shared a look, smiled at each other and held out a hand each to him crossing their arms in the process.

Harry crossed his arms, took their hands in his, and shook on it. "I take it we have a deal gentlemen. You can contact me on the, whatever the hell we're going to call them, Harry should do it, just think of me when you call. It works a bit like a spell I think." he said getting up and looking around for somewhere to put out his cigarette.

George handed him a mostly empty coffee cup, "Mum will freak when she sees you doing that."

"I wouldn't try it in the house. We don't mind, but mum will flip."

Harry dumped his finished smoke into the coffee eliciting a slight hiss as it hit the liquid. "So I'll smoke outside. I expect that DD will get me over there within the next week or so?" he half asked.

"As far as we know Harry, it's over to the Burrow as normal, though it could be the . . . other place." George said with a shrug.

Harry grimaced but nodded, "Good, Good. Okay so give me some of your best stuff that I can smuggle into Hogwarts. No doubt you're entire catalogue will make its way onto Filch's banned items list this year."

The twins laughed but at the same time were forced to agree.

-oOo-

As it turned out Harry had a familiar owl waiting for him when he returned to his pad. He grabbed the note attached to the excitable little creature and scanned it.

His lips twitched as he read his best mates familiar frenetic scrawl. Apparently, he had to be ready that night at midnight and he then go to the burrow. Therefore, this time they were in fact going to the burrow. Which suited Harry just fine; he did not much like the HQ of the Order of the Phoenix. It was dark dreary and above all depressing. It had been another jail for Sirius and frankly, he never wanted to see the cursed place again. Though he did wonder if Dumbles had managed to get rid of that old hag that passed for a portrait.

He also found himself curious to know what had happened to his OWL results. Surely, they should be with him by now. Not that his results were terribly important to him, but they would give him some idea of what he would be doing for the next year class wise. However, with the large amounts of both mundane and arcane information floating around in his head he figured that school would be pretty much a breeze this year whatever courses he decided on.

The one thing you could say about moldy was that he was a learned man. However, his application of said knowledge was dodgy at best. Or at the very least with dark leaning, but that was no shock considering his past time was blood purity pep rallies and ordering his sycophants around.

Therefore, he had a few hours to kill. Just how was he going to murder them? He could add more to his room. Go shopping, which sounded good. Of course what he'd really like to do is find out how far Lavender would let him run his hand up her leg and just what she meant by allowing his hands to wander. He smirked to himself before disappearing in a swirl of magical lights.

Reforming in a back street, he had come across last time he was in London. What he should really be doing was catching a nap, but he could not be bothered. He would sleep when he was dead, in the meantime, he had far too much to see and do.

With that aim in mind, he walked out of the alley way and straight to a taxi rank. It was a matter of a few moments to find a black cab, "Harrods please mate." He had always wanted to go there.

"Right you are guv." the cabbie told him and navigated the London traffic like the pro he was, dropping Harry off virtually at the door. Harry paid the man and gave him a good tip for making such short work of the infamous London traffic. Then smiled as the door attendant let him in the famous shopper's heaven of Harrods.

He looked around with a grin forming on his face. Now where to start he mused. Picking a direction and setting off. He perused the food court sampling some of the finest food available, and then picked his way through the floors spending a few hours just browsing around. Only pausing every so often to grab some caffeine, the shopper's friend, before moving on hungrily. Though he did not really buy much, he did buy himself an electrical doodad or two. Something called a PDA, whatever that was. A personal stereo and some CD's to go with it. He would figure out someway to make it ignore magical interference later. He had really liked the music that had been playing in the various clubs he had visited the night and morning before hand. Therefore, with the help of a very attractive sales assistant he blew a fair bit of money in the music section alone. He also brought some speakers for his stereo vowing to drive his dorm mate's nuts with his music choices.

He then went back to his flat and charged his new toys, placed batteries where they were required and spent some time tinkering with a way of shielding them from magic. Anything electrical tended to go haywire around magic, the single plug socket he had in his room was actually in the 'real' part of the room and was pretty much unaffected by the magic surrounding it.

Once he was happy, he had protected his toys he put on his stereo and blasted out some techno beats as loud as he could, until he was fed up with the tinny sound coming out of the state of the art speakers. State of the art they may be, but they were still tiny. So he tweaked them magically then roared with laughter when he managed to duplicate the sound from the best club they had visited the night before. He cast a general silence spell around the flat so he would not incur the wrath of bozo the clown and just let it rip at full volume. Dancing around as the girls had shown him and generally having a ball.

At half eleven he packed his trunk, carefully including his music collection, player and speakers. He paused over the PDA. He had brought it on a whim really, but what the hell. It went into his pocket. He then realized a slight flaw in his plans. He did not have his trusty Firebolt. How the hell was he supposed to get anywhere without giving himself away?

He shouldered his hefty trunk, slipped on his leather coat with the hood tucked away out of sight and strolled outside. His uncle and aunt were fast asleep; they rarely stayed up past 10pm anyway. The only person that was likely to see him would be Dudders, and frankly he was too scared of getting another pigs tail. Harry smirked to himself, sat on his trunk shifted until he was comfortable with his back to a wall and focused on the air around him.

He took a few moments to 'feel' the wards that protected the house, they were indeed quite powerful and very complex, but he was not so sure, how he charged them. Unless they had a power sapper built in, this made him slightly angry to think that someone set him up to be a battery of all things. Then, he did need to protect his mother's sister. To that end, he supercharged the wards until they were just about glowing with power. Wouldn't Dumbles have a heart attack when he inspected them, he thought with a dry chuckle.

"Wotcha"

Harry opened his eyes and allowed his gaze to drift up the stylishly attired, for wizards, form of Tonks. 'Yowl' he thought to himself. He plastered a sexy smile on his face, "Sorry miss do I know you?" he said with laughter in his voice.

Tonks smirked at him. "Well I'm not sure, you do look awful familiar. But the young wizard I know normally has a scowl on his face."

"Ow, I suppose I deserved that, but DAMN Tonks you look good."

She shot him a bemused smile.

"Will I be riding with you this evening?" he said with a tone loaded with double meaning.

She gave him a little double take, "Are you sure you're Harry?"

He chuckled at her, "Want to check?" he asked with an unrepentant smile.

It was Tonks turn to laugh. "Okay lover boy, I'm guessing you had a good summer. Let's be off hey?"

"How are we getting wherever the hell we're going?"

"Port Key"

"I think the neighbours might notice if we just up and disappear you know."

"Notice Me Not Charm." Was her reply, "Come on, and get on with it. Grab your trunk and then touch this."

"Why Miss Tonks that's very forward of you." Harry said with a smirk, since Tonks was fishing around in her pocket.

"What's with you?" she asked with a faint blush.

"Not a lot." he answered, grabbing his trunk.

"Where's your owl?"

"I sent her to find me."

"I thought you didn't know where we're going."

"She'll find me no matter what." he said confidently.

Tonks sort of half shrugged. "Come on lover boy, grab this."

Harry did not comment, this time. Grabbed the length of robe she was holding out for him.

"Burrow" she said, triggering the port key into action.

A pull behind his navel, and a nasty sensation of dizzying flight later he made damn sure to fall onto Tonks.

"Now who's being forward?" she asked with a laugh.

"It's your magnetic personality." he shot back, helping her to her feet. Rubbing his shoulder as he did so. She was surprisingly solidly built. Then she had to keep that extra mass she used for transformations somewhere.

"Well we're here."

Harry nodded at the sky.

Tonks looked up in worry, until she saw the familiar sight of a snowy owl. "Well I'll be hung"

"I'll ignore the obvious come back" Harry replied glibly.

"Someone's been working on their flirting." Tonks said with a smirk. "But I'll have you know I'm taken."

Harry was tempted to tell her that she was not taken like he could take her, but decided that may be crossing the line somewhat, especially if she called his bluff. He was still a virgin after all, even if he had been working on his kissing skills of late.

"Who's the lucky guy I have to duel to win fair ladies hand?" Harry asked smoothly.

"Damn, nothing rattles you anymore does it? I was hoping for at least a blush or something."

Harry just smiled. Lifted up his trunk, "You know this thing is heavy. Any chance of a feather light spells. And leaving it on?"

She regarded him with dancing eyes for a moment, and then nodded. Her wand was in her hand in a flash and she cast the spell for him.

"Damn, that was a fast draw." Harry complimented her.

"Auror issue Wand Wrist Sheath," she explained.

"Who do I have to sleep with to get one of those?" he asked.

She laughed in a slightly surprised manner, "I'll get you one."

"Does that mean I get to sleep with you then?"

She laughed gaily and somewhat loudly. Causing the inhabitants of the house to notice their arrival. The door opened flooding the immediate area with light.

"Ahh Nymphadora, you have our wayward traveller," a familiar voice said. His silhouette was blocking out most of the glare.

"Isn't it after your bedtime grandpa?" Harry muttered quietly; though apparently not quiet enough as Tonks shot him a surprised, but mirthful look.

"Harry!" she admonished in a whisper.

"Do you smell coco?" he asked in a louder voice, causing her to snort.

"Ah yes, I believe that Molly has put some on for us. Don't stand on ceremony my good man, come in, come in."

Just then, Molly appeared in the doorway, almost shoving the defeater of Grindlewald out of the way in her haste to get to 'darling Harry'.

"Oh shit!" Harry once again muttered. "Promise me mouth to mouth when she suffocates me," he whispered in an aside to the attractive young Auror, who fell about in giggles.

He was swept up in to one of Molly Weasley's patent hugs of death. "Gurgh... Ohff" was all he was able to say.

"Harry, I'm so pleased to see you safely with us." she beamed at him. "I've made you some supper because I know those Muggles don't feed you properly." she paused, sniffing at him. "Is that alcohol?" she asked, her mother's nose detecting what others could not. Even through his shower earlier, it was still on his breath.

'Shit, fuck shit!' Harry thought his mind freewheeling. "It's my uncles; my cousin thought it'd be funny to slip me some scotch in my tea. Which really wasn't pleasant." He was quite proud of that one, believable from what they knew of his cousin, and spontaneously too. Perhaps he should become a politician?

"Oh my poor dear, let's get you something to drink and wash out that taste." As she led him away, he turned back to Tonks and winked at her. Causing her to dissolve into snorting laughter, shaking her head at him.

He allowed himself to be virtually dragged into the comfortable kitchen of the burrow, his trunk tailing behind him. He was then firmly pushed into a chair at the table, a supper placed in front of him and a cup of hot coco plopped down within reach. His eyes bugged out at what Mrs. Weasley considered a supper, which consisted of all the makings of a full English breakfast. Then he dug in with relish. "Thanks Mrs. Weasley" he said between mouthfuls, playfully batting away Tonk's hand as she tried to nick some of his bacon. Then he smirked at her and offered the rasher to her.

She smiled at him and took it when the Weasley Matriarch was not watching. All of which was done under the amused but watchful eyes of Dumbledore.

"Have you had a good summer Harry?" he asked after a minute of watching Harry's interactions with the vivacious Miss Tonks.

Harry looked at him, all hints of mirth beading out of his eyes. "Not bad." he admitted.

"I trust your relatives took their warning to heart."

'Are you kidding!' is what Harry wanted to say. Instead, he replied with, "I think they learned their lesson sir."

A slight frown creased the elderly wizard's forehead at the slightly weird phrasing of Harry's answer. However, he refrained from pushing for a different answer. Harry seemed happy enough though it appeared that he harboured some resentment towards him. Well hopefully that could be countered during the year, they had much to discuss after all. "Ah!" he said suddenly and started to search through his voluminous pockets. Finally finding what he was looking for he gave it to Harry with a flourish. "Your Owl results."

"Cool" Harry said.

"I'm sorry?" he said totally bemused.

"It means good." Harry replied, placing the envelope on the table and turning back to his meal. Noticing he was down a sausage, he turned a baleful eye to the pink haired honey perched on the table beside him. "Sneaky" he whispered.

"Aren't you going to open that?" Tonks said with a grin and pointing to his results.

"Feel free." he said, chomping down on some black pudding.

Tonks frowned slightly, but did as he suggested. He eyes flicked from side to side as she read. Her jaw dropping slightly. "Harry, this is... just wow!"

"Oh?" he said totally uninterested. "What courses can I do next year?"

"Pretty much anything except divination and history." she replied somewhat mystified at his disinterest.

He smiled, "Cool. I was thinking of doing some... Hang on I passed Potions?" he said in shock.

"O"

"Shi...sugar wasn't expecting that."

"You also got a commendation for DADA, O+ I didn't even know they did that."

"In fact this year has seen quite a few notable good marks for a ... certain group of people. Just thought you'd like to know that."

Harry smiled and nodded, noticing the hint. He was glad his crew had done well; they deserved it for all the hard work they had put in. "Shame that dozy bint messed everyone else's chances up really."

"Harry!" Molly admonished him.

"Believe me that wasn't the first choice of word I had." Harry said darkly.

Dumbledore actually chuckled slightly at that. "Luckily the 'bint' in question will not be returning to Hogwarts."

"What unmitigated disaster have you lined up for us this year?" Harry asked casually, but without real bite behind his words.

"I will admit" Dumbledore started, waiving off the agog Mrs. Weasley. "Some of my past choices in DADA Professor were less than stellar."

"Voldemort himself and a death eater to mention but two." Harry said with a smirk.

"Indeed though in fairness to myself Voldemort didn't appear out of the back of Professor Quirrels' head until the first term you attended," he replied sardonically.

"So I'm the curse of the DADA professor. Have you at least warned the new professor?" Harry said with a chuckle.

"Indeed the professor in question is quite... aware of you."

Harry frowned slightly then realization dawned. "Finally decided to give him a go then. Who's taking his place?"

"That is something that I actually require your help with Harry."

"What are you two talking about, who is the new professor and what replacement." Tonks asked.

"Professor Snape will be teaching Defence Against The Dark Arts this year." Dumbledore replied.

"Which means Potions may be bearable this year, so I might add that to my Rota." Harry noted.

"Any other courses that take your fancy?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry finally took up his results and scanned them. "Auror track I think, with Arithmancy and Ancient Runes."

"At Newt level?" Dumbledore said somewhat surprised.

"They're listed." Harry replied. "I've done some reading in that area and I kind of wish I'd taken it earlier."

"Well Hagrid will be sad to see you go."

"Oh hell I hadn't thought of that. He'll be back this year then?"

"Indeed he will."

Harry hummed.

"I don't believe you'll be able to fit it in as well as the other courses."

"I'll drop Runes, and do care of magical creatures." Harry decided.

"Are you sure?"

Harry nodded.

"So you want to be an Auror then Harry?" Tonks asked with a light behind her eyes.

"Perhaps" was his noncommittal reply. "I've recently discovered that I don't really need to work at all," he said with a baleful look at his headmaster.

"Ah" was the immediate reply, "May I ask how you came to be in possession of this information?"

"A friend" was all Harry was willing to say on the subject.

"Which friend?"

"No one you know." Harry replied. However, it was highly possible that the headmaster did in fact know Fliptrask either in person or by word of mouth.

"You are proving to be even more resourceful than I gave you credit for... My Lord."

Harry inclined his head slightly.

"What's this?" Tonks asked, now very confused.

"I take it you realize the full ramifications of that law?"

"Yeah my wands in the trunk over there somewhere. I think." Harry said waiving a hand in the trunks direction.

"You can do magic?" Tonks said taking a slight leap.

Harry nodded, "More pureblood bull...crud. Apparently because my family hails back to the damn stone age I get some rights that everyone should have but don't."

"It's a good thing that you can use magic though isn't it. From a security stand point it's much better to protect someone that can handle themselves too." Tonks reasoned.

"I don't think the headmaster agrees." Harry said with a nod at the man in question, "Since he kept this little tit bit of info from me."

"I was unsure if you would use the freedoms allowed you responsibly." Dumbledore admitted, "Especially after then end of the last year."

"I won't blow up your office again I promise" Harry said with a grin that was totally giving away just how sorry he felt about doing that in the first place. "Conversely it does mean that I can at least shave without a razor now."

This surprised a laugh from all present, even the to this point quiet Mrs. Weasley.

Then he smiled wider, "And contraception charms too." he said tossing a wink at Tonks.

Who blushed and slapped his shoulder. He just smirked back at her.

"You appear to be in a rare mood Harry," Dumbledore said over Mrs. Weasley's stunned spluttering.

"Let's just say I've decided not to take life so Sirius-ly anymore."

Tonks smiled at him, "I like this new you. The old one was kind of a grumpy git."

"True."

"I too am happy to see this change in you Harry," the headmaster admitted with a smile. "I trust you will use your wand wisely."

Harry snorted.

Dumbledore took a moment to review his words over Tonk's snorting laughter and rolled his eyes. "You are worse than your father ever was for innuendo you do realize."

Harry smiled happily, "Good"

"I think I should warn your head of house to be wary."

"You can tell Professor Pussycat that I'll be Purrfect." he replied causing Tonks to fall of the table.

"I'll tell her you said that." Dumbledore said with a super nova twinkle in his eye.

"Oh hell, please don't she'll transfigure me into a toy mouse and ... play with me." Harry said with a slightly worried expression on his face that was as false as it was convincing.

Tonks was now laughing so much she had tears running down her face; even Molly was chuckling behind her hand. Only Professor Dumbledore wasn't laughing... overtly.

"Well, on that note. I shall leave you in Molly's more than capable hands Harry." he paused, "That just sounded so wrong." he added causing Harry to fall off his chair laughing and Molly to blush a familiar Weasley beet red.

Shaking his head and muttering about perverted teenagers the venerable, supposedly, headmaster left the burrow and made his way outside of the wards and Appareted to HQ. However, he did play with the idea of telling the outwardly stern Professor McGonagall what had transpired that night. He knew she would get a kick out of it.

"Right!" Molly said, wiping away a tear of laughter, "You should head up to bed Harry, Tonks are you staying the night."

"Room for two in my bed." Harry muttered to the young Auror.

Tonks bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm only on transport duty Moody is out there somewhere."

"Oh no, he's likely to leap on me in the middle of the night shouting 'CONSTANT VIGILLANCE!'" Harry bemoaned.

Tonks chuckled, "He could, and in fact I might suggest it to him."

"I'll be sure to find a proper way to repay your kindness," Harry said with a straight face but a twinkle in his eyes.

"Go on, off with you." Tonks said, pushing him towards the stairs.

"Don't wake Ron."

"Do I look like the entire compliment of the Weird Sisters and a gong?" Harry asked, grabbing his trunk and making his way up stairs.

"He had a point," Molly admitted.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The morning came around much too fast for Harry. He was young, but a late night on top of no sleep the night before and he was ready for a serious lie in. However, such a concept appeared to be alien to the Weasley household.

"Come on mate! I've been waiting all summer for you to turn up so we can play some Quidditch!" The voice of his best mate Ron said in a demanding manner.

"Oh sod off Ron, it's too early."

Ron chuckled, "Isn't that normally my line?" he asked. "Anyway it's 9am"

"What?" Harry said sitting up suddenly, nearly knocking his mate off the bed in the process.

"Okay, 8.30 then" Ron said with a smirk.

"Bastard" Harry muttered, swinging his legs out of bed and getting up. "Damn I'm knackered."

"Well you did get in kind of late last night."

"I was in the company of a babe if you must know." Harry said with a wry smile.

"You wish mate, come on breakfast is nearly ready." he said and dashed out the door.

"That man is a walking stomach." Harry commented he looked into the mirror with a frown. "Mate you look like shit warmed up," he told his reflection. With a sigh, he went about tidying himself up the best he was able and digging through his trunk for some of the clothes he had created before, though he did pick something slightly less formal than he new normal style. Then he tossed his ever-present jacket over his shoulders and meandered down the rickety stairs to the kitchen.

Breakfast was served just as he arrived and the Weasley's looked up at him.

Ginny let out a low whistle, "Hey there handsome" she said with an impish smile.

"Hey yourself" he replied with a sexy drawl and smile.

Ginny then promptly blushed scarlet at his unexpected retort and ducked her head down to concentrate on her breakfast.

"Ginny!" Ron said scandalized.

"Leave her be Ron, we were just playing." Harry said in a firm voice. Taking a seat by his friend and digging in before he ate everything in sight. "Where's your dad."

"He's spent the night raiding." Mrs. Weasley answered for her otherwise occupied son.

"Nothing serious I hope." Harry said.

"Just the usual dear"

Harry nodded and ate his breakfast, "Oh hell" he said suddenly.

"What?" Ron said with his mouthful.

"Ron, spray that again why don't you? Anyway, I just realized I haven't got a broom and I'm not allowed to fly."

"Oh Professor Dumbledore dropped your broom over last night dear, he had that silly ban lifted."

"Oh thank god," Harry said in relief.

"See we can go flying."

Harry nodded, "Sure Ron, but I also want to stretch my legs a bit, go for a bit of a walk."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea Harry" Molly jumped in and told him.

Harry just looked at her, steadily. "I don't think the king of warts is going to jump me in this village do you?" he asked rhetorically.

"Still, it's as best to be safe. I assured the headmaster that I'd look out for you."

"I appreciate that more than you know Mrs. Weasley, but I am legally an adult. There's not much you can say either way. Though I'd understand if you didn't want me to stay"

"Oh no Harry that's not what I mean at all. Of course, you are free to go for a walk, just stick to the grounds. Can you do that for me?" she pleaded with him.

Harry smiled, "Sure. I've been finding a bit of a solitary walk helps me with my Occlumancy actually."

"The order didn't mention you going for any walks."

"You think they knew" Harry said with a smirk.

"Oh Harry, your guards are no good if you keep giving them the slip."

"Then they shouldn't be wasting the man power on looking after me when I can look after myself. But this isn't something I should lay at your feet Mrs. Weasley. Perhaps I should bring it up with the headmaster." Harry said reasonably.

"Perhaps that would be best dear."

Meanwhile Ron and Ginny were looking at him as if he had grown a second head.

"What?" he asked in an aside.

"What's gotten into you?" Ginny asked.

"Freedom, I've tasted it and I like It." he whispered back at her.

She frowned slightly.

"Don't frown it give you the wrong sort of wrinkles." he said with a wink.

She blushed again, and was derailed quite nicely. Leaving Harry with only Ron to deal with.

"Sure you don't want company mate?" was his surprising question.

"Nah, I'm good." Harry replied, "The solitude really does help me focus." It was true during the first little while, as he had been learning it had indeed helped. These day's it was almost second nature to him. Heck it was almost first nature. Besides being alone meant he could...slip away again.

Once breakfast was finished, Ron grabbed him by the arm, barely letting him get the last mouthful of his meal in his mouth. "Ron we're not all production line eaters you know!" Harry objected.

"Come on, I've been dying to have a play."

"Well Ginny could've done the job; I mean she's quite the seeker you know." Harry said just as they were leaving the door. Causing Ginny to beam with pride as it was quite the compliment from the best seeker since her brother Charlie to grace Hogwarts pitch. In her personal opinion, Harry was in fact better than her dear brother was, but perhaps she was somewhat biased thanks to the huge crush she was still nursing for the dark haired young man.

She shook it off as best she was able and set about her morning chores. It would have been nice to be invited but then her brothers still thought of her as some sort of girly girl, despite the fact she could keep up with them doing most sports pursuits.

-oOo-

Harry had finally managed to extract himself from Ron had gone for his 'walk' which led him into the small copse of trees that bordered the Weasley holdings. They actually had a fair bit of a land for a supposedly poor family. If they just sold off some of the parcels of land they had they could be quite a bit better off. Alternatively, that would have been the case; they had a goodly amount of money now thanks to his godfather. It was not as if he would not look after them but either they were very proud, or in Ron's case a little strange about his money. He would have to offer Mrs. Weasley some money to help with his up keep, after all he was there eating their food and taking up some room. He should at least pay for the privilege.

He quietened his mind and enjoyed the early evening sun filtering down through the trees and hitting his face, the copse itself was very quiet, the only sounds really coming from his egress through it. It was the perfect place to loose himself and hopefully slip away undetected, Just then a cracking noise causing him to whirl around to face the noise.

"Who's there?" he asked in a firm voice his wand already searching around him. When no one answered, he almost let it go as just another sound of the woods. However, he did not as he was not that lucky overall. With a swift movement of his wand, a sphere of purple light appeared around him and spread out; he looked around him until a soft pinging noise told him that there was someone hiding. He immediately turned to face the source of the sound and pointed his wand threateningly.

"Show yourself or I start hexing!" he commanded.

A pink haired head appeared as Tonks took off her hood to her invisibility cloak. "Bloody Hell Harry, you can be kind of scary, do you know that?"

"Oh, it's just my body guard for the day" Harry said relaxing his combative stance slightly. "You know it's not a good idea to creep around with me."

"No kidding." Tonks commented slowly.

"Also if you're going to follow me like that you might want to silence the immediate area that you are in." Harry pointed out.

Tonks laughed, "I'll have to remember that. So Harry what are you doing out here. You're almost at the edge of the wards." She informed him.

He shrugged in reply, "Whatever. I was just getting a moment to myself. I like it here but it can be kind of busy."

She nodded her agreement, "I suppose you're right there Harry."

Harry plunked himself down with his back to a tree and waived her beside him.

She paused for a moment, and then mentally shrugged. She would still be guarding him after all. She sat down beside him and smiled, "Nice here init."

"It's not bad." Harry admitted, and then smirked, "The company is even better though."

"You're flirting again," she pointed out without rancour.

Harry smirked at her, "Is that a problem."

She just smiled back at him and did not answer, instead asking a question of her own. "So is that story about Occlumancy true?"

He shook his head, "Nah, just wanted some alone time really."

"Oh sorry" she said getting to move away.

Harry's hand on her arm stilled her. "No it's okay. Loneliness is overrated anyway."

She smiled softly and sat back down properly. "So..." she said.

Harry cocked his eyebrow at her.

"How's things?" she ended lamely.

He shrugged again, "Not bad. You know the normal really. How about you? Got over that wound you picked up at the ministry?"

"Yep, all healed and no scars to show for it. Sometimes being me is good."

"Only sometimes" he asked teasingly. "So who's this other man that has taken you off the market then?"

She looked at him sternly, "What makes you think there's a man in my life."

"You said you were taken last night..."

"Oh... Yeah I suppose I did."

"Not answering the question though are you?" he asked with a smirk. "It's okay, I'll just be insanely jealous on a more broad scale."

She laughed at him, "You are terrible."

"Really, I thought I was getting better at this flirting thing" he said with a laugh.

She gave him a playful shove causing him to fall over which just made her laugh.

"Guarding me; abusing me is more like it!" Harry said playfully.

She snorted at him, "You wish"

Harry winked at her, "It's true, I could go for some abuse right now," he added flirtatiously.

Tonks threw back her head and laughed at him.

Harry righted himself and reached up, grabbing a nearby branch and pulled it off.

"Whatcha doing?" Tonks asked curiously.

He reached into one of his many and almost with out end pockets and pulled out one of his recent purchases. In this, case a finely made pocketknife that he had charmed to be ever sharp and wickedly so at that. Then he whittled off the various offshoots from the main part of the branch and various leaves etc.

"Harry?" she asked.

He shrugged at her and smirked, "This is my new wand. Do you like it?"

She snorted.

"No seriously, look what's a wand. A piece of wood with a magical core of some sort, say you are a magical creature... In more ways than one, grow us a hair..."

Giving a strange look she concentrated and grew some of her bubblegum pink hair until it was about 4 inches long. Then she pulled out a strand and passed it to him.

He carefully drew a long fine line down the length of his wand, and then repeated the process a few times until he could lay the hair into almost the middle of the 'wand'. Then he used his other wand to seal the rift.

"There one wand." he said, giving it a swish and causing some sparks to come out the end.

Tonks shot him a wide-eyed look. "Cor Blimey."

"Wingardium Leviosa" he said over enunciated every syllable. A few twigs wobbled into the air for a moment. Then all of a sudden, the 'wand' exploded into green flames. Which engulfed his arm to the elbow; this caused Tonks to cry out in alarm. Nevertheless, the wand and fire lasted about a second and shortly both had disappeared. She virtually dived on him, grabbed his wand, and inspected it closely.

"It's alright" Harry said soothingly, "I'm not harmed. Honestly." he said, luckily his magic had protected him from the flame and the backlash of magic his dodgy wand had caused. "Look" he said flexing his hand at her.

She did not believe his words and insisted on inspecting him closely. Which was when Harry noticed he had an attractive woman sat astride him, he looked at her worried face with a sexy smile haunting his face.

"How?" she asked, looking up from his hand and promptly getting lost in his emerald regard

The two of them stared at each other for a minute, before Tonks found herself leaning in for a kiss. Her lips just brushed Harry's before she leapt off him as if he was actually on fire. "Oh god!" she said backing away a bit, "I shouldn't have done that!" she said aghast at herself.

"It's okay Tonks, I'm not offended or anything. I quite enjoyed it actually," he said with a charming voice and smile.

"You're my charge, I shouldn't be doing stuff like that it's unprofessional is what it is!" she said horrified at herself more than anything, the spark that had shot between them was actually just fuel for the fire of her self recrimination.

"Tonks, calm down. It's okay." Harry said, getting up and taking a step towards her.

She backed off with a shake of her head. She held up her hand. "Just stay there Harry." she said and pulled up the hood of her cloak disappearing from his site. "That was just so wrong. I'm going to back away a LOT but I'll keep you in sight," she told him. He did not hear anything else from her, so she had apparently taken his advice to heart too.

He smiled slightly, turned to the tree and climbed up it. Taking a seat on one of the higher branches, he then promptly lost himself in his mental construct. He obviously was not going to be slipping away any time soon. Therefore, he might as well make the best of the time he had. To that end, he spent the rest of his 'free' time sorting through Riddle's knowledge and filing it away in the right places. Some of which was quite disturbing so he had to spend some time settling his emotions. Then he just jumped down from his perch and landed with a bend of his knees and a hand to steady himself.

One of the major advantages he had found to organizing his mind in such a way was recall. He could recall just about everything he had ever read, and now what Riddle had read too. Even flick through a book seemed to be enough. Therefore, the things he had picked up from escapes to the library were with him. Including some of the Hand-to-Hand books he had browsed when he had found out he would be fighting on a regular basis. At the time, he did not think them useful for the Wizarding world. Now he was not so sure. That and the fact he pretty much remembered every single move and Kata listed in those books had imprinted it in his mind and strangely enough reactions.

He was not sure how that worked, but he was glad it had. He had also figured out that no wizard truly anticipated a physical attack on his person. Therefore, it could be turned into an advantage for him, especially with Death Eaters. Not so much with the Dork Lord himself, since his 'new' body was of reptilian descent and thus had some blindingly fast reactions as standard. Though if he would know how to use them to his advantage was another thing entirely, but he suspected that Voldemort would not let something like that slip past him.

Harry meandered slowly back towards the Burrow, just thinking and enjoying the fading sunlight. His ears alert for any sign of Tonks. He supposed he should apologize or something. Though to be honest, she had kissed him and not the other way around. However, it would be good form to try as least.

He did not take that long to reach the ramshackle home of the Weasley's.

The kitchen door was open to allow the cooler summer air to drift in to the kitchen/dining area.

He would have to admit, he had been there only a day and he was starting to chafe at being restricted to one place already. He had another two weeks to go as well. He would have to figure out someway to get past his guards and slide away for a while. Hopefully without drawing attention to the fact he was not where he was supposed to be.

He walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table next to a slightly miffed Ron, curious Ginny and across from the twins. They had apparently hopped back home for a visit. Well there was one thing about having the twins around. Things were rarely boring.

"Alright Harry" George said.

"Alright George" Harry said causing the twin to smile.

"Good guess" he said.

Harry shook his head with a secret smile.

"Any luck?" he asked obliquely.

Fred shook his head, "No, the enchantments are too complex. We can't even crack through the first security layer. Some of the best work we've ever seen, but we DO have an idea, it's just a case of creating a few test models."

"Oh?" Harry asked, interested now.

"Well we were in Muggle London the other day and saw something fascinating."

"What were you two doing there?" their mother asked.

George shrugged, "The Muggles have some interesting Pranking ideas, we occasionally check out what they're up to."

"Cool" Harry commented, "So what did you see."

"This guy was talking into a fellytone, and it didn't have wires or anything. We did some research."

"In other words we asked him what it was." Fred put in.

"Apparently it's called a Mobile." George said tripping over the word a little.

"Loads of muggles have them apparently. So we were thinking, we could just take one and magic proof it. Dad's department would come down like a ton of bricks if we did that."

Harry looked up in alarm, "They would?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah" Ginny put in, "It's one of the things he does. Check nothing Muggle has been enchanted and all that. Most of the time it is because people are making them do things that put the security of our world at risk. But the rule is blanket to catch everything."

"Shit" Harry said under his breath, "So these mobiles. I have seen them around, Dudley has one in fact. Dead useful I expect."

"That's what we thought" Fred said.

George nodded, "So while we can't just take a Muggle fellytone and change it..."

"Telephone" Harry corrected him.

"Right, well we can't just take a ... Telephone... we could possibly duplicate it using magical means, and they wouldn't need all those thingies all over the place to ... boost? the signal."

Harry nodded, "Okay that sounds like a good idea. Keep me up to date yeah. I reckon I could have a use for something like that," he said with a smirk.

Fred smirked back at him. "We'll do so." he said semi seriously.

"So what was it that they were doing for you in the first place?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing" Harry said waiving it off.

She gave him a look that was clearly disbelieving. He ignored it and turned his attention to the plate placed in front of him. He was also thinking he would have to do something about his new stuff quickly or risk getting into even more trouble with the ministry than was usual. Which sucked, he really liked being able to listen to music... Unless.

"Your eyes just lit up like Christmas came early." Ron noted.

"I've just had an idea. But I'm not sure it'll work yet. I'll have to do some calculations. Anyone got a notepad, sorry daft question... I'll be right back," he said diving away from the table.

"Hey!" Molly said, normally people were not allowed to leave the table until the meal was done. Then Harry always was a law unto himself. She also did not normally allow business talk over the table but it had happened. Though she was curious, she had to admit. She had a sneaking suspicion where the twins had gotten their start up money too. She would have to thank him, after giving him an earful. The twins were turning out to be very successful and it did her heart good to see them so happy doing what they were doing. Even if they had not finished the full 7 years of school in the end though it was her children's happiness that was important to her, even if she was sometimes a little over protective

Harry arrived back at the table with a strange looking sheaf of papers bound at the top with wire, and a stylus type thing. She had no idea what it was though.

Harry caught her looking, clicked the end and showed her. "It's a biro. Much easier to use than a quill, this is a notepad," he said to the twins who were looking at it with interest.

He flicked it open, "Cheaper than parchment and you can easily keep your notes together with it. I have one for each area I'm working on at the moment," he told them paging through the notepad.

"That's some advanced Arithmancy" George commented. "And rune work included too."

Harry shrugged, "Hermione isn't the only one that can learn from books," he said, fobbing them off a little. As he sketched out a few equations

"Hang on, that one there." George said pointing to the previous page. "That could help us out, if it's what I think it is."

"I didn't know you guys knew Arithmancy" Molly said, impressed despite herself.

"It's applicable to our inventions." Fred said. "Also helps with working out the effects ingredients will have when mixed. Though that's mostly just guess work and knowing the ingredients properties."

Molly looked very impressed, causing the twins to blush slightly. "I still say you should return to finish off the year at Hogwarts. I'm sure the Headmaster would be pleased to have you back."

"The other teachers on the other hand..." Ginny said with a smirk.

They all laughed, "No" Fred said, "Maybe at some point we'll do a correspondence course to get our NEWTs but at the moment the business needs our full concentration."

"Well, at least you've thought about it I suppose" Molly said. "Just so you know though, your father and I are proud of what you've done."

They blushed again.

Harry smirked at them, "Oh for a camera, a picture of the infamous Weasley twins blushing could go for a bit I reckon."

"You wouldn't survive..."

"... The pranks we'd pull on you," they said in their eerie way.

Harry laughed and nodded, "True enough I suppose." he said with a smile.

He passed them the notes he had made on the lighter communicator, "They don't work though." he warned them.

Fred shook his head, "Doesn't matter... So you tried to use the Floo then?" he said glancing over the complex equations with a professional air.

Harry nodded, "Blew up in my face. THAT I remember."

"Wish you remembered the one you got to work."

"What are you three on about?" Ron asked.

The twins looked at Harry, who nodded in reply.

"Harry sent us this little doodad he made one night while..." Fred glanced at his mother and back at Harry, "Otherwise disposed mentally. It's basically a communications devices, only trouble was, that he didn't make these" he shook the notes, "Sorts of notes for it, and couldn't remember how the hell he got it to work."

"I thought" Harry said picking up the thread and running with it, "That a portable form of talking to each other would be dead useful."

"You're right it would be." Ginny put in.

"I made ten" Harry said, "Then fell asleep or something. I wake up the next day and have no idea how the buggering things work."

"Language Harry" Molly warned.

He smiled his apology, "So I thought who better than these two to work them out," he said with a nod at the twins.

"Got any left?" Ron asked.

"Sure, want one?" Harry said.

"Too right mate" Ron said with a smile.

"Have to warn you though, unless I figure out the charms used, they'll be limited to who ever I give the rest too."

Ron shrugged, "At least it means we can stay in contact."

"You should give one to the headmaster" Molly put forth.

Harry grimaced but nodded, "You're probably right about that Mrs. Weasley. Was hoping to save them for my friends though"

"You've got ten friends?" Ron asked teasingly.

Harry poked out his tongue in the ultimate come back... if you are four.

"Oh very mature" Ron said wryly.

"Was the only come back I had at the time." Harry said with a chuckle.

"Anyway, if the twins get their idea off the ground, we'll have a method of communication that's portable and easy to use. Not to mention it should bring them in a fair bit of money too."

"Well, we've got the original sale of the ..." Fred said trailing off

"Handset" Harry filled in.

"Right, but we were thinking that they shouldn't be that expensive. You know to get as many people using them as possible." Fred finished.

"Hell no, there's way more you can do than that. Depending on how you achieve this. In muggle run companies, they have two types of mobile. Pre-paid and monthly contract, you own the handset, which can connect to the 'network' that is how they contact each other. But you rent the line that it connects to. This is either done on a monthly basis or using pre-paid cards that pay mostly for the costs of the calls themselves."

George's eyes lit up, "So people pay for the calls made too."

"Yes, which with monthly contracts is billed like making an order would be, part of the bill is the line rental and the rest is the charges for the calls made. They vary in price, for one thing there are different networks and it costs more to contact another one, some lines are... especially expensive, but they are somewhat seedy on the whole." Harry informed them with a growing smirk.

Fred laughed, "This could make us RICH!" he said with a laugh.

George was looking doubtful though, "Thing is, we'd have to have one hell of a support base to do the billing and the maintenance and all that wouldn't we?"

Harry nodded.

"We can't really afford to set that up." George went on to say.

Fred was now looking doubtful too.

"Well I can" Harry said, "Take me on as a partner and I'll put up the start up costs."

The twins looked at each other, "You'd need to be willing to part with a fair bit of cash."

"Fred and George Weasley you cannot take advantage of Harry just because he has some money." Mrs. Weasley thundered over their growing enthusiasm.

"Actually Mrs. Weasley, they wouldn't be taking advantage at all. The return for something like this would be staggering and I would of course have profit share and a say in the direction for the new company aims etc. I would make my money back, hand over foot. Even if we tanked I wouldn't come out of it broke or anything. Fred, George, get inventing then we'll discuss how we should go about this. We'd need to set something up with the Goblins for sure; for direct billing of vaults etc, and I think I could pitch that to them successfully." he said assuredly.

The twins smiled at him and nodded, casting a wary look at their surprised mother. Then things calmed down for a while as they all ate, but Harry continued to work on his magical math.

"Got it!" Harry said excitedly about half an hour later.

"What?"

"Hang on a mo" he said scribbling, "Ginny can I borrow a hair pin?" he asked.

Ginny frowned but reached into her long red locks and retrieved a pin as requested.

Harry pulled out his wand and cast it over the pin several times until it started to shot light out of the end of it. Then he once again ran from the table and thundered up the stairs, quickly returning with a CD.

"What's that?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry just smiled at him and winked. Then he cast another spell and the pin stood on one end the light shooting up to the roof. Then he placed the CD over the light and spun it. Nothing happened other than it continued to spin, "oh bugger, forgot about the speakers." he said and thought for a moment.

"Is it me or is Harry doing some more inventing." Fred asked his brother.

"I reckon you're right my good twin."

"What do you think that silver disk thingy is?"

"No idea second twin, but knowing Harry it'll be good." George responded with a smirk.

"Wasn't I the first out?" Fred asked.

"No it was me."

"No it wasn't it was me."

"Boys!" Molly said, before they really got going.

"Huh" Harry said suddenly and cast another spell, the needle, CD lifted off the table, and suddenly the house filled with the banging beat of techno music.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Mrs. Weasley demanded at the top of her voice, mostly so she was heard over the noise.

"HEY I LIKE THAT!" Ginny said with a wild-eyed look.

The twins were nodding their heads in sink as Ron tried in vain to cover his ears.

"SORRY" Harry shouted and flicked his wand; the volume went down to a more reasonable level.

"That's better dear, whatever is that noise though?" Molly asked.

"Techno music" Harry said with a pleased smile, "I got into it during the summer. It's good yeah?"

Molly smiled slightly, "If you say so dear."

"I like it" Ginny said tapping her foot. "Very..."

"Tribal" Harry finished for her.

"Yeah" Fred and George agreed.

"Ahh make it stop." Ron said.

"Don't worry mate, I've got loads of CD's I might even have something you like."

"Where'd you get the CD-thing's from anyway?" Ginny asked, "And can you make me one of those"

"Well since you gave me the main ingredient, I think I can." Harry said, not noticing the wince from Mrs. Weasley.

"You have to get the CD's from the muggle world though. Perhaps we can get a trip out sometime?" he asked Mrs. Weasley

She looked thoughtful for a minute, "I'm not sure that's safe dear."

"No one in the muggle world has the faintest idea who I am Mrs. Weasley. It's actually safer out there than it is in Diagon Alley."

She had to concede that point, "I'll ask the headmaster."

Harry rolled his eyes, "I don't need permission Mrs. Weasley, and I was asking your permission to take Ginny along, Ron too if he wants."

Ron looked slightly dubious but nodded, "Yeah I could go for that."

"Professor Dumbledore would still have to provide a guard for you Harry."

"Well from memory only Tonks would be able to fit in anyway." Harry replied. Most wizards stood out like a sore thumb in the muggle world.

"I'll see what I can do Harry dear." she said walking off towards the fireplace.

"Do you think he'll go for it?" Ginny asked.

"If he doesn't I'm bloody going anyway and they can just follow me" Harry said forcefully.

"Harry mate..." Ron began.

"No mate, it's got to stop. I'm legally an adult now and I'm fed up with being caged in like some precious vase they can't afford to loose. I'm my own person now and I'm damn well going to act like it."

"Wise words Harry" came the voice of Professor Dumbledore, "But are you ready for the responsibility that is inherent with taking your place in the world."

"I'm not about to be reckless with my life professor." Harry said reasonably, "Or anyone else's for that matter. I'm just fed up with being so... Restricted all the time. There is a world out there that I have yet to even begin to explore..." Harry trailed off incredulously, "Are you dancing sir?" he asked with a smile quirking his lips.

"Oh, sorry Harry I was just enjoying your musical selection. It is truly a magic beyond that we do. Reminds me of some of the music I heard while travelling in Africa." The younger generation shared an amused look.

"You are, however, correct Harry, perhaps it is time I loosed the chains a bit. Though I do insist you take this," he said handing over a small square object. "It's an emergency port key that will take you to Headquarters. At the first sign of trouble, I insist you use it. That is my only condition."

"Will it take anyone I have with me also?" Harry asked.

"They merely have to be in contact with either yourself or the key. It's small enough to fit on your person is it not?"

"Actually not really, can you make it into something like say... a necklace or something I can keep on me at all times?"

"That's a very good idea Harry, if you would pass it back to me. I will make it work to turn your entire body into the port key so you bring anyone along holding you. If any, shall we say, nay-do-wells have a hold of you the defences at the HQ will deal with them, I have had rather a lot of fun lately putting them all in. Bill has been kind enough to install some of his most... inventive wards as well."

"Thanks Professor." Harry said, "So whatcha reckon then, trip to London tomorrow."

"I have to ask though Harry," Dumbledore said interrupting any answer that would be made. "What is that, and how did you come to own it?"

"Oh, this is a CD" Harry said pointing with his wand, "and I had to kind of... make a spell to play it."

The aged professor's eyebrows rose, "Impressive. May I ask how you learned to do such a thing?"

"Picked it up here and there. Did a LOT of reading over the summer, found one of Hermione's advanced textbooks she'd lent me at some point, that sort of thing."

"I'm really most impressed. So you are not enchanting the ... CD was it? Itself then?"

"No I've learned today that is illegal." Harry said with an impudent smirk.

"So just the pin itself contains the spell then?"

Harry nodded, "It's actually got a few on it. One for the light and feedback, you see CD's have these tiny holes that hold the music and a light beam known as a laser reads them and normally a chip turns that back into sound. I just cut a few corners and had the magic do the reading and conversion. The air underneath the pin acts as a speaker."

"A speaker?"

"Like the horn on a mega phone, sort of."

By this point, most of the Weasley's had gone a little boss-eyed. However, Dumbledore and Harry were into the science behind magic and technology now. They were both quite enjoying the conversation. "Basically movement in the air creates sound waves which are dictated by the CD."

"So it is not too dissimilar to a phonograph then?" Dumbledore asked drawing up a chair. Literally, he drew it with his wand and sat on it.

"Sort of, but that's analogue, and this is digital. A series of one's and zeros."

"One's and Zero's do all that, fascinating."

"Pretty much. I learned about this stuff back in Muggle science class."

"Your retention is rather good then." Dumbledore commented.

Harry paused, this was possibly getting onto dodgy ground, "Occlumancy has helped me organize my mind quite a bit sir," he admitted. After all, there was nothing that strange about what he had done. He had merely combined the science of shielding the mind and organizing thoughts with memory techniques from the muggle world. "I may have also added some techniques for memory retention and organizing thoughts from a muggle source as well sir," he admitted. Better to have it out in the open now rather than it coming up later.

"Really, what sources?"

Harry rattled them off, noticing that Dumbledore was fishing around for some parchment. He smirked; jotted down the names of the books he had read and passed the paper over to the man.

"Thank you, I'll get copies forthwith." The professor said, "Now back to the other reason I am here. I'm wondering if you might do me a favour Harry."

"Shoot"

Dumbledore cocked his head at Harry.

"Ask away sir"

"Oh, really what a quaint expression that is. Very well I require your assistance to convince someone to join my staff this year."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Professor Horace Slughorn."

"Never heard of him, why would you need me sir? How can I help convince someone I've never met to help you?"

"That is actually terribly simple Harry. I just wish you to join me and look like your mother."

Harry glanced down at himself, "I don't really have the figure for it sir," he said with a smirk.

Dumbledore laughed, "You're becoming quite the scamp Harry, and just be yourself in point of fact. You indeed have your mother's eyes that will help here."

Harry snorted, "You're seriously saying you want me to come and bat my eyes at someone?"

The aged professor laughed again, "Not quite, but close. Horace was very found of your mother, I believe he said she was one of his best students in the time he had been teaching. He has been reticent to return to the noble art of instruction though. I think a little emotional blackmail is in order."

Harry laughed everyone did in fact. He nodded his agreement, Then reached out and grabbed the needle for his CD Player. In addition, promptly dropped it, "FUCK!" he swore.

"HARRY!" Molly admonished him.

"Sorry that was ... REALLY hot. I wasn't expecting that," he said, touching the table he noticed it too was suffering from warmth. "Looks like I have a few bugs to work out. Sorry Ginny, but we will still take our trip. I'm sure it won't take long."

"A simple cooling charm added to the matrix perhaps," Dumbledore suggested.

"Might muffle the sound a bit, but I could perhaps amplify the signal?"

"That would be wise I think. Now, shall we be off or do you require medical attention?"

Harry shook his head, thinking it strange that his Magic had not saved him that time. He would have to watch it; there were obviously limitations to what it could protect him from, apparently. Which in itself was worthy of note, perhaps his power was not as all encompassing as he had thought. Which only made sense really, there was no such thing as absolute power. "No I'm okay sir. Let's be off shall we?"

Dumbledore brought forth a port key for Harry to hold. "I hope this sock is clean," Harry grumbled with a chuckle.

Dumbledore chuckled and activated the port key. Another tug behind his navel and they arrived at a small cottage by the ocean. "Just follow my lead Harry."

Harry nodded and they set off towards the entranceway.

-oOo-

"Wow, wicked" Ron said as they stepped into Muggle London.

Harry smirked, "You ain't seen nothing yet."

He looked at his partners in crime for the day trip. They were both dressed in muggle clothing that did not stand out too much. Luckily, the clothing of the younger generation was not that bad by muggle standards, a little dated perhaps. The adults appeared to be stuck in the eighteen hundreds.

The night before had been... strange to say the least but the mission had been accomplished much to Dumbledore's delight. It had left Harry feeling the loss of his mother once again though. This often happened when compared to his mother or father, just another reason he did not much like it.

"There's more?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"Much more, follow me and... try not to stand out too much." Harry said.

Ron looked at his friend who was dressed in his now familiar leather coat, silk shirt and dark trousers that also looked to be leather. He would love to know where the hell he had got those. He was exuding an air of confidence that simply had not been there before and was standing proud in the street. Adverse to his words of caution Harry was indeed standing out and was taking it all in his stride. As they walked along the street and towards the busier parts of London proper, some girls were giving him the eye and he was generally drawing attention to himself. So Ron thought it a bit off for him to be saying for them not to draw attention when he was.

"How far do we have to walk, I'm hungry." Ron said after a few minutes.

Harry and Ginny shared an amused look, "Not far Ron then we'll catch a taxi into Knightsbridge and I'll take you to Harrods. Everyone has to at least check it out once." Harry said, "I'll buy you something to eat there if you like?"

"I've got money!" Ron said indignantly.

"Of course you have, but why spend it on food when I'm happy to splash out some dosh?"

"Splash, dosh?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Muggle expressions."

"You didn't used to be so up with muggle stuff Harry," Ron said.

Harry shrugged, "You've never seen me outside of the Magic world really," he said accurately.

"True enough I suppose, just it's a surprise is all" Ron commented.

Harry shrugged again, "I was brought up here, and it's likely that I know it isn't it now."

"Yeah, fair enough." Ron said.

Harry walked up to the Taxi rank, opened the door for Ginny, and let Ron go before him too. "Harrods please mate." he said to the driver.

"Right you are guv."

"Guv?" Ginny asked.

"East end London expression." Harry said in a whisper.

"New to London?" the taxi driver said, obviously noticing their conversation.

"Not me, but my friends are from down in the south."

"Ahh, gotcha." the cabbie said nodding, and then made short work of the traffic.

In no time, they were let out at the famous store and Harry paid, and tipped, the driver.

"You have to pay?" Ron said surprised.

"Through the nose generally but buses are a nightmare and walking is virtually impossible. The tube is too crowded and stuffy and frankly it's quicker to catch a cab."

"You just said a lot of stuff I don't understand a word of." Ron admitted. "Blimey big place init?"

"One of the largest and most expensive stores in England." Harry informed him. "I'd look and not touch too much if I were you."

"Hey Sirius left us some money you know."

"They don't take Galleons here Ron." Ginny said sharply. A bit fed up with her brother's attitude of late when it came to money.

"Whatever mate, I'm just saying this is a place for tourists and the financially secure. A box of Christmas crackers will set you back a hundred quid in here. Even the plastic bags cost a mint. However, if anything takes your fancy just let me know. Luckily this place won't but much of a dent in my limit."

Ron scowled at Harry, who totally missed the expression. Harry was after all just trying to be nice.

Which Ginny knew and related to her brother, in a stern whisper. "Stop being a git" was the general gist of it.

Ron then scowled at his sister instead. This Harry did catch. "Come on, we're supposed to be having fun today."

"Oh yeah Muggle stuff is fun" Ron commented.

Harry frowned at him, "You could've bloody stayed at home you know."

"Someone has to look after Ginny."

"Git" Ginny shot back.

It was Harry's turn to scowl, and then he just let it slide away and instead smiled charmingly at the aristocratic blonde-haired woman that was trying to get past them. "Terribly sorry" he said smoothly stepping to one side and beating the door attendant to the door.

She blessed him with a sexy smile, running her finger across his chest as she past, "Thank you good sir" she said in a cut class accent.

"My pleasure I assure you," Harry virtually purred.

She winked at him and walked away with Harry's eyes glued to her form as she did so.

Ginny walloped him in the shoulder, "Ow, all that time with your brothers has given you one hell of a thump girl."

She smirked superiorly at him, then frowned at him, "Since when did you turn into such a flirt?"

"I was always a flirt I just hid it behind a pathetic loser," Harry said wryly.

"We've never thought of you as a loser Harry," Ginny said softly.

"All that matters in ones self is ones self image and mine sucked. I've learned a bit of confidence this summer. I decided to stop being a doormat and take control of my life. Flirting is just a side affect of that," he said, holding the door for her and her brother to pass.

The sheer splendour that is Harrods cut off any response.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron said looking around at the amazing shop.

"Ohh pretty" Ginny said immediately moving off to look at one of the mannequins with a 'posh frock' on.

Harry smirked, "Want to see if it's in your size?" he asked in barely a whisper that sent a thrill through her. Which she just barely suppressed.

"I'd never have the occasion to wear it."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't girls aloud to just own some clothes because they fancy them?" Harry said, "Besides I recon I could take you all somewhere that could require the use of it."

"You're too free with your money Harry, we don't need to be brought!" she said with some asperity.

Harry frowned, "I'm not trying to buy anyone. I am bloody rich and I intend to share it with my friends in the best ways I can. Going out to swanky places is just one of them." Harry shot back forcefully, "Hell I might even buy a place on the coast and go sailing after this school year. Come on I'll show you the leaflet they've got upstairs!" he said, now with a smile on his face.

"You can buy boats here." Ron said shocked.

"You can buy just about anything here. You should check out some of the kid's toys. Cars with actual engines and everything." Harry said with a light behind his eyes.

"Wicked!" Ron said, though he was not sure why that was quite so exciting.

"First though" Harry said when Ron's stomach made its views known, "The food court" he said with a smile.

In the end it was three quite exhausted Teenagers that finally found their way back into Diagon Alley and then to the Burrow. Thanks to Harry, insisting on splurging on them they all had various bags and Ginny had a few CD's for her new collection. She had had to ask to try each one out though so she could find what she liked. It had taken a while, but the shop assistant had been the same that had helped Harry before and more importantly remembered his spending power. Therefore, their service had been exemplary to say the least. Of course, it helped that neither Ginny nor Ron really knew just how much Harry had just spent on them. Muggle money was mostly alien to them after all. Harry was not about to couch them on exchange rates either otherwise they never would have let him buy it all. As it was, he had become happy by making them happy. So all was good in the land of Harry.

Of course he then had to hedge a fair bit with Mrs. Weasley and assure her that 'He had not spent much really do not worry'. He was actually getting used to this lying through his teeth thing. Was that a bad thing he wondered? Then he decided that it was not in that case. However, he would have to watch himself and not to let it become habit.

The next week went by slowly with not a whole heck of a lot happening, it was not until the last Friday before school that anything really occurred.

Harry dug into his breakfast with gusto; he had spent an early morning doing his general regime of a bit of running and some working out. It was not much, certainly not as good as using Dudley's weights but it was something. When he got to Hogwarts, he would have the Room Of Requirement come up with a suitable training room for him.

He looked up as an owl swept into the room and landed in front of him. It was the first owl he had received in the entire time he had been at the Weasley's. Looking around the room, he noticed that only he, Ron and Ginny attended so he unrolled the parchment and read it with a slowly growing smirk.

"Who's that from Harry?" Ron asked.

"Oh... No one" he said casually, "Just some information I've been waiting for." He hedged.

He scribbled a note on some paper and sent the owl on its way.

"Come on Harry what is it?" Ron said making a lunge for the parchment.

It burst into flames and it became ash before he made it halfway across the table.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron exclaimed.

"Wow" Ginny agreed, "What happened"

"Dunno" Harry said, "Must've been charmed or something" he added almost as an after thought.

"You're being sneaky again aren't you," Ginny said accusingly.

He smiled at her in reply.

"I don't know what's got into you lately mate" Ron complained. "Usually you tell me everything."

"Some secrets aren't mine to tell" he replied.

"Ohh, gossip" Ginny added with a grin.

Harry rolled his eyes, "What is it with Girls and Gossip?"

"It's an important part of our psychology," she told him primly.

Harry laughed.

-oOo-

Harry stood up silently from his bed and checked the watch he had picked up on his latest visit to London. 11.30 and not a noise in the house. While the Weasley's were not quite as bad as the Dursley's they were not known to be up all that late either. Rather than worrying about dressing properly, he just grabbed his coat and in a swirl of magic was dressed to the nines. He took off his glasses and laid them on the bedside table, with a flick of his wrist he created glamour of him in bed fast asleep. It would not stand up to much scrutiny but it would allow someone to check up on him without being immediately obvious he was not at home.

Then with another quite bright swirl of magical energy, he was away from the Burrow and appearing in his favourite London back alley. Two people making out very heavily occupied it.

"'Ere, what you doing pervert" the man demanded to know, pushing off his Girlfriend, or whatever she was, and making a threatening move towards the interloper. Or Harry as he was known to his friends.

Rather than take the man up on his threatening stance Harry realized that he also would not be happy at an interruption. He held up his hand, "Obliviate" he said, catching both lovers in a single spell.

"You never saw me; you are having fantastic sex and enjoying each other immensely, in five minutes you will pickup where you left off. Never the wiser, okay."

They nodded dumbly.

Harry cast a contraception charm on the girl, just so they could have sex with out any nasty surprises and left with a swirl of his coat.

Five minutes later, the two leapt at each other passionately.

In the meantime, Harry walked to a cash machine, drew out some cash, and stalked through the London night towards his meeting.

He finally found her waiting for him adjacent to the queue outside the swanky club.

"Hey you, I was starting to worry you'd been held up."

"I was, or something like that." he replied with a smirk. "But I'm here now." he told her and gave her a lingering look over. "You are even sexier than I remembered." he said with a charming smile.

"Flattery will get you anywhere you want" Lavender replied with a sexy smile.

He bobbed his eyebrows at her and took her hand, "Let's Queue shall we?"

"If you want, I'm in the mood for some fun."

"Where's Parvati?" Harry asked, after all, the note had said it would be them both.

"Couldn't get away from her parents tonight, but I slipped away unnoticed." she said with a chuckle. "Mine aren't quite so suspicious about having a teenager in the house."

Harry chuckled, "So I get you all to myself."

"I could say the same. Not disappointed Parvati's not here?" she asked, with a curious note to her voice.

"A little, she's fun. But if it means I have you to myself I'd gladly walk on hot coals." Harry said gaining a beaming smile so he suspected he had said the right thing.

After Queuing up for half an hour, they finally got into the warmth of the club and checked Lavender's coat and bag.

"Fancy a drink?" Harry asked.

She nodded at him, "Surprise me."

"I'll likely surprise myself, I've no idea what's good or not."

"That stuff we were having before was good." she said pensively, "Can't remember what it's called though".

"Alco-pops or something aren't they. I kind of like the lemonade one myself. Buggered if I can remember its name though." he said with a grin, "I'll just point and smile," he decided aloud, gaining a chuckle.

"Be right back, don't go away," he said with a wink.

She watched him leave and gave herself a shake, "Come on Lav you can't just jump him on sight." she told herself. Of course Parv, had no idea she was out tonight and she was not about to tell her either. Hopefully Harry would not either. The truth was she had thought a lot about a certain black haired, green-eyed man since that night. The kisses they had shared and the burn of his touch all affixed in her sense memory. She REALLY wanted to add to those memories tonight if she could. She was just hoping he would agree. Therefore, she had dressed in her sexiest Muggle clothes, highest heels and left a few things out of her usual dressing regime. Hopefully she could get his hands to wander a bit tonight. She still did not want him as a boyfriend, but boy playing around with him sure was fun.

"Here you go," he said handing her an ice-cold bottle of drink. She took a large swig and looked him in the eye.

"It's great thanks," she told him.

"A dance or would you like to do something else?" Harry asked.

"Wow, a boy that's willing to dance."

"I don't mind looking a prat if I get to see you dance up close and personal." Harry told her, smiling into her eyes.

'Or we could just snog till the morning' Lavender commented mentally. "A quick dance and find a seat." she decided.

Harry led her to the Dance floor and they spent a good half an hour writhing against each other, Lavender purposefully trying to drive his temperature up.

It was working quite well as Harry felt himself grow hot despite his climate controlled coat.

"I'm hot, can I cuddle in to cool off" she said into his ear. Not waiting for an answer, she slid in very close and stuck her arms into his coat, pulling it around herself in the process. "Hmm that's better. How much is it for a coat like this?"

Harry blinked, "Sorry what?"

Lavender smiled to herself. "How much is it for a coat like this?"

"You can have it," Harry said moving to take it off.

"No, no, this one's yours. It creates a great image. Wouldn't mind having one of mine charmed like it though," she said semi seriously."

"I can do that for you. Just pick a jacket, coat or whatever."

She smiled up at him, their gazes caught for a moment, and then she tiptoed slightly and kissed him. His hands slid around her body to rest at her lower back and they lost themselves for a good while on the dance floor.

"Harry" she said once they had finally broken apart, "Can we go somewhere... else."

"Don't like this club?" he said totally missing the point.

She rolled her eyes, "I was thinking of somewhere... Private," she purred into his ear.

Harry smiled, "I think that could be arranged." he told her, "Any preference to where."

She shook her head, "Just away from people, so it is just the two of us."

Harry nodded, and took her hand he led her to the coat check.

-oOo-

Harry's hand glided up her bare leg, to her thigh and caressed the toned muscle there causing her to moan into his mouth.

She broke away with a wild lust filled look to her eyes. "Higher" she told him, "Let them wander a bit darling"

He blinked a bit at the endearment, and the request. He was sure that generally girls were supposed to refuse that sort of access. At least that is what he was led to believe from his fellow boys in his year. Who were all, apparently, more experienced than he. However, what did he know? Cho did not care about hands she was too busy trying to resurrect Cedric through kissing him.

"Magic hands baby, magic hands" she whispered planting feather light faces around his jaw line and finally a hot kiss on his mouth, her tongue delving deep and playing with his.

Harry went with the flow and the request, reaching her backside and griping a cheek in his hand. She moaned into him and arched her back, pressing her ample breasts against his chest. She broke off again, "Touch me here," she said taking one hand and placing it on her breast.

Internally Harry was leaping around going, 'I've got a tit in my hand, I've got a tit in my hand!' but he realized wisely that it would not be cool to do that aloud while dancing like a spaz. He was not quite sure what to do next actually, but he did notice something very important. She was not wearing a bra, oh and Christ that was a hard nipple in his palm too. He cupped it and gently squeezed, still unsure what do next.

"Oh fuck, magic hands," she breathed, squirming in his lap. Which by itself was causing him some blood flow problems; in fact, he was sure he was going to lose it if she kept doing that. Suddenly she was moving, a leg both side of his body as she pressed against him and gave him the hottest kiss yet. It was his turn to moan somewhat. Which he was sure would be considered uncool. He took his hand off her breast to her annoyance, but then slid it up her top, slowly. Giving her every chance to tell him to stop, or slap him, whatever.

Instead, she just looked down at him with hooded eyes, almost willing him to continue. He did so; finally, soft rounded flesh was in his hands with her conversely hard nipple between his fingers. Oh, boy was he thanking god at that moment. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes as he gently tweaked said nipple. Still unsure if he was about to be slapped or not. Though from the reaction he was getting he was fairly sure, he was not. "Oh god Harry, that feels SO good. You've got magic in your hands I swear to Merlin."

That brought him up a little short. He internally checked himself and sure enough, there was actually a slight drain on his power, virtually nothing. He certainly would not have noticed if she had not of said anything. He was not about to turn it off though. Instead, he kissed her neck causing her to sigh in pleasure and move against him again.

He started running Arithmancy puzzles through his head so he didn't... loose himself in the moment, while still cataloguing every moment for permanent inclusion into his 'best ever' memories file. He was after all 16, touching a great looking girl, equally fantastic breast and so far no slapping. This was just the best day ever.

"I can touch you if you like?" she purred in a voice a clear octave lower than normal.

He blinked, for a second missing her meaning, but it was not that hard to guess. "Erh… actually I think that would be a VERY bad idea."

She chuckled in a throaty way he was sure should be illegal. "Am I making it hard for you Harry?" she asked.

"Very" he shot back, kissing her breathless.

She leaned back and he removed his hand, looking at her curiously, "So what do you prefer Harry, leg's or breast?"

"Either are amazing, I really haven't a preference at this point."

She turned to one side and put her leg out straight, her skirt riding up at the same time. "I think Parvati has better legs," she said thoughtfully.

Harry shook his head, "I like yours better, they're defined, god and long." he breathed, his mind not really thinking too much. He was pretty much going on automatic at this point.

She made things worse by running a hand down her leg, "Really?"

He nodded a lot.

She smiled at him, and then began popping buttons on her blouse.

"Whatcha doing?"

She finished and let her blouse hang, just covering her breasts, "Would you like to see them Harry?"

He was nodding by 'Like'.

"Go on then" she said huskily.

He looked into her eyes, filled with sin, then reached out. Horrified to see his hands shaking like crazy. He slid his hands across her chest moving the silk of her blouse to either side, and gulped.

"What do you think?" she asked.

A loaded question if ever he heard one.

"Perfection" he breathed.

She giggled at him, causing her chest to move before his entranced gaze. "Oh shit," she said suddenly, "The suns already up. I had better go. What time is it.?" she said redoing her buttons.

'NO!' Harry thought, but held his cool for a bit longer. "Urm..." he glanced at his watch, "Oh fuck... It's 7am."

"Bugger" Lavender said getting up quickly. "Wish I could Apparate."

"Can you keep a secret and I mean REALLY secret?"

"I give you my oath as a Witch," she told him, and despite not having a wand on her, she briefly glowed.

"Thank you, are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Harry grabbed her into a hug. He did not think he NEEDED to, but what the heck she felt good against him.

One swirl of magic later they were outside her parent's home. He had grabbed the address from her mind just before doing his thing.

"That felt... good" she said looking a little shaky.

"This is it right."

"Do I even want to know how you know where I live?"

He smirked at her and said nothing.

She leaned forward and kissed him passionately, then broke off and virtually skipped away, "See you at school Harry. Remember, all this is just between us ok."

"Sure thing Lavender." he said with a nod, watching her until she reached her door. Hoping she could slip in unnoticed.

Now he just had to get back to the burrow, likewise unnoticed.

He swirled himself to the copse near the house and ran like hell to the house. Hoping he could make out he had just been out for a run, while he ran, he changed his clothes into something sensible for running.

He got back to an empty kitchen, breathing a sigh of relief he made his way silently up the stairs. Going invisible in the process. If he was lucky he could get into the room he shared with Ron unnoticed. Apparently, they were not getting up too early today, but he was sure Mrs. Weasley would be up soon.

As he entered his room, he stopped dead. Ron was nowhere to be found, instead he found Tonks sat on his bed, dressed in her normal attire that just begged... well he was a teenager and it begged a lot. He was fairly sure she had on a particularly short skirt that day too, there certainly seemed to be a lot of leg on display. Not as long as Lavender's were perhaps but very nice just the same.

"I heard you come in you know." Tonks said in a very pissed off sounding voice.

Harry allowed himself to become visible and winced at the glare she was shooting him. "Erm... Hi" he tried.

"WHERE THE FUCK Have you been!" she said leaping off the bed to confront him.

"Around the grounds, doing a bit of late night thinking."

"So how did you miss the wards being tripped at about 4am this morning?"

"I fell asleep out there." he told her, "Up a tree."

"You fell asleep up a tree. Moron!" she said poking him in the chest. Then she sniffed, "So this tree wore perfume did it?" she said with a redoubled glare.

Harry sniffed himself, "What are you on about Tonks" he said, thinking, 'Shit, Shit oh Fuck oh Shit'

"Perfume, You reek of it" she tapped her nose, "Not just for display you know!"

Okay he was screwed and so could not think of a thing to say, he groped wildly, "Ginny, must be hers."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, "Ginny wears vanilla her mum makes it for her."

"Actually I brought her some in Harrods the other day. I expect I picked up a secondary dose after she hugged me for buying it."

"Harry, mate, you REEK. You don't get that from a hug. You get that from some serious body on body action. If you've been that 'close' to Ginny you better update your will." Tonks said angrily.

Okay so he was caught out here, but she seemed excessively angry after all, he had declared independence from his guards somewhat. In fact she seemed more worried about the smell of perfume on him than the fact he was... not around when he should have been.

"Where is everyone anyway?"

"Transported to HQ, which would've been you too, if you hadn't been off with some tramp!" Tonks spat.

"Not that I have been, but I've got to ask... Jealous Tonks?" he asked with a smirk.

WHACK

Harry turned back to face her with emerald fire in his eyes.

"Hit me again and you'll loose the hand that touches me.," he said in nothing above a whisper that still sent a thrill of fear through Tonks.

She was, however, too angry to let it deter her. "That's out of line boy," she growled at him.

"Don't. Call. Me. Boy!" he said looking over her.

"Merlin you stink; man whore!" she gritted out.

"What does it smell like to you Tonks?" Harry said backing off, but his eyes still sparking.

Tonks could have sworn she saw lightning spark around his iris for a moment, but shook it off as a weird effect of the light. "What?" she asked dumbly.

"WHAT. DOES. IT. SMELL. LIKE?" he ground out.

Tonks gave him an angry but puzzled look. "Erh… Jasmine." she said, anger still tainting her tone.

Harry's hands shot up "Are you blind! The stuff is all over the place around here!"

Tonks still looked doubtful.

He grabbed her hand and tried to drag her to the window.

She pulled it angrily back; she did not want him to touch her right then. She REALLY needed to get her rampaging hormones under control here. Damn bastard was right she WAS jealous. She really could not get like that over a 16 year old; she was 21 for Merlin's sake. She followed him to the window anyway and looked out with a sinking heart. Jasmine was indeed all over the place. "Ah" she whispered.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He had not lied but misdirected her considerably.

"Harry... I'm... shit"

"Yes, well never mind" Harry said quickly, he did not want her to apologize. He was just lucky Lavender wore Jasmine perfume. He was likewise lucky that Jasmine could be magical grown anywhere.

Tonks shot him a slightly suspicious look, "Look..." she said after taking a breath, "I'm to take you to HQ." she told him, "But I'd have a shower just in case, it's just a pain to explain else and some people have a much better sense of smell than mine if you know what I mean."

Harry nodded and tossed off his coat, grabbing some clothes and his wash kit he stalked off to the bathroom, still pissed as hell. He hated been hit after spending so much time in the Dursley's tender care. He had sworn to himself he would not allow it to happen again, but it had. Though his anger was actually also being fed by guilt. Guilt for lying to her and guilt for stepping out of line with Tonks. He would be cursed if he was going to apologize though. As far as he was concerned, being hit was plenty of payment for the crime and then some.

Therefore, it was a still plenty pissed Harry that stalked back into his bedroom and glared at Tonks. He picked up his coat and tossed it on. "Well?" he snapped.

Tonks glared back at him, "Look there's something else I've got to tell you. I am going to be at Hogwarts this year and I'm going to be keeping a bloody close eye on you. If you think, I'm totally sold on where you were last night you have another thing coming Harry. So watch it."

"How are you coming to Hogwarts?"

"I'll be filling in for someone, while they get... private tutoring for the year."

"Who?" Harry asked, Lavender had not mentioned anything so he was fairly sure she would say something if it were her. 'God that would be tricky if it was her wouldn't it?' He did not think Tonks would handle him... handling her quite as well as Lav.

"If I told you that you'd be ready wouldn't you." Tonks shot back. "I just thought you should know that you have back up if you need it."

"How would I ask for help if I don't know who you are?"

"I'll be watching you won't have to ask."

Harry took careful note of her Aura of magical power and her... mental presence for the lack of a better term. He was sure to a good degree of accuracy he would be able to spot her no matter what.

"Here" she said passing him a length of rope, cutting off any further conversation on the topic.

The port key triggered and they were away to Grimmauld Place.

They arrived to virtual pandemonium. This only increased when Tonks arrived with Harry in tow steaming gently.

"Ahh, you have found our wayward soul." Dumbledore said over the noise and calming it down in the process.

"Where might I ask where you were Harry?" Dumbledore went on to ask.

"He said he was on the grounds, asleep in a tree." Tonks filled in for him.

Dumbledore looked dubious, but without further proof, he could hardly say otherwise.

"What tripped the wards anyway?" Harry asked, trying to keep his tone level. Then he felt a tickle on his shields. His eyes snapped to the source and he snarled. Anger fuelled him, dislike prompted him and he did as he had done to Voldemort. Putting the transgressor in a memory of Lord Voldemorts own, personal Cruatious curse. "GET OUT OF MY MIND!" he growled.

Snape dropped to the floor with a cry of pain, which did not stop as he was trapped.

Following the thread of Legimens to its source Harry mind dumped the potions professor's knowledge. As far as he was concerned it was a fee for attempting to mess in his head. This time he felt just fine as he dumped the new knowledge in a room to be sorted out later, instead focusing his inner walls to make Snape suffer. The truth be told he probably would have let him go if he was not so damn angry.

"Let him go Harry" Dumbledore said softly.

Harry looked at the man, "Why the fuck should I?" he demanded, "That bastard is always attacking me anyway he can; now it's mental and I had enough of that with his good for shit lessons."

"You know you're language is quite coarse when you're angry."

"I FUCKING KNOW!" Harry shouted, causing Snape to whimper.

"Let him go Harry you're anger is feeding whatever it is you're doing to Severus." Dumbledore said in a soft tone, trying not to anger the young man whose aura was just beginning to become visible. Something only a select few VERY powerful wizards could do, him included.

Harry turned to look at Snape, who was by this point bleeding from his ears, eyes and nose. "Oh shit." he said immediately letting him go.

Snape opened his eyes and looked at Harry hatefully, then turned to Tonks, "Arrest him then!" he spat.

"What for?" Tonks wanted to know.

"He just held me under the Cruatious curse and you have to ask, you feeble minded girl."

"No he didn't" Tonks shot back, "He didn't cast anything."

Snape actually looked confused. "I'm well versed with being on the end of that curse."

"It was a memory," Harry said softly, going down on his knees and pulling out a handkerchief from his coat. He passed it to his professor, "I'm sorry I was going to give you a shock and let you go, then was distracted."

Snape glared at him balefully.

"On my honour I didn't mean to hurt you like this" Harry said sorrowfully.

"I did warn you that Harry was now well versed in the mind arts Severus. I did not know he had such... fierce defences. But I warned you that you wouldn't be able to get through."

"You tried?" Harry asked surprised.

Dumbledore shook his head, "Merely looked at your mental shielding without trying to breech it. You wouldn't feel that."

Snape cleared his throat. "I took the Dark Lord some post Crucio potion a couple of weeks ago, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

Harry smirked, "He underestimated me," he said simply.

"You should've informed me Harry," Dumbledore said.

Harry shrugged, "Do you need any?" he asked Snape.

The gloomy man shook his head, reached into his pocket, and withdrew some. "It was a memory you say?" after he had taken a swig.

"Yeah, from the Dork himself." Harry said.

Snape snorted a soft laugh. "Impressive." was all he said before he rose and swept out of the room.

"I do believe you actually managed to impress Severus." Dumbledore noted, "Such a shame it had to be via such a painful method."

"I feel pretty bad about doing that actually. I really didn't mean to hold him in there so long."

"Alas, I feel I should take some blame also. It was after all I that distracted you. Now young Harry I know that the others would like to see you are fit and well, they are waiting in the kitchen."

Harry nodded and walked out of the entranceway. Leaving the adult members of the order to look after him in shock.

"Is there anything else to report Nymphadora?"

Tonks winced, "Nothing sir"

"Harry was unusually... angry on his arrival. I am sure he wouldn't have reacted quite so forcefully otherwise."

"He is SCARY when he's mad." Tonks admitted, "I may have read him the riot act when he walked in."

Dumbledore nodded. "I see. I take it that did not go well?"

Tonks snorted a laugh, "You could say that. Scared the shit out of me."

"He can be quite intense; something that I believe has only increased since his change in attitude. He is however not as quick to anger as he was. The methods he has been using tend to keep him calm where he may not have been before," he said leadingly.

Tonks shifted her feet.

"Is there anything else to report?" Dumbledore pressed.

Tonks shock her head, "Nothing germane to the Order."

"A personal clash then."

"We may have meandered off the point somewhat." Tonks admitted.

"Very well, I'm sure it'll work out in the end." Dumbledore said closing the door on that discussion, for which Tonks was grateful.

"On to other business then, since we now have Harry among us."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Harry sat on his trunk and waited for the Express to turn up. For the first time in living history, the Weasley's were early for the train. His last week had been a boring round of chores and more chores. Nevertheless, he had weathered the storm of Mrs. Weasley's housekeeping efforts and they were now ready to go to school. He was, for the first time, in two minds about going back to school. One, he loved the place and at times it felt more like home to him than any other place. Yet at the same time, he knew that he would be even more restricted there than he had been at the Burrow. Not Grimmauld Place, because that was a fortress now and the Fidelius pretty much ensured they had to remain inside. Going in and out would draw attention to the lack of a house that people kept appearing from.

He was fine with that; the order needed a HQ after all. Still he was champing at the bit for some fun. Though he had decided to find some time to try his transformation out, he still had no idea if he would be able to carry it out or not yet. Thisilar seemed confident that he, of anyone, could. Harry himself though still had doubts, which could be a cause for any failures he would endure.

"Alright Mate, you're looking a bit glum" Ron said plopping down beside him.

"Just thinking mate"

"Ohh nasty, did it hurt. And here's me thinking it was the Express arriving."

Harry laughed and gave him a playful shove. Almost causing the larger teen to fall off the trunk

"Bloody Hell Harry watch it, you nearly had me off then."

"Sorry Ron" Harry replied with a smirk.

"You don't look sorry. I won't share this Chocolate Frog with you unless you say it properly."

Harry smirked and reached into his pocket and pulled out a Mars Bar he had picked up in the station.

"'Ere, what's that?" Ron asked entranced by a new type of food.

"It's a Mars bar. Want to try it?"

"Yeah" Ron said immediately.

Harry handed it over and fished in his pocket for another. "Whoa Stop," he said suddenly.

"What?" Ron said.

"You have to unwrap it first you Wally." Harry said, indicating what to do with his own bar.

"Oh, bugger that was close huh?" Ron said with a little chuckle.

Harry rolled his eyes at the cluelessness of the Wizarding world to simple things such as polypropylene wrappers. One day he was going to go on a quest to bring them kicking and screaming into the current century if it killed him. Though his efforts with the twins would help with that, also his CD player spell might help a bit, now he had added some cooling charms. He had forgotten that heat had to be created as a side effect. It was simple enough to vent though, thankfully. He was half-tempted to bring it out now and liven up the virtually dead platform. They were the only ones there, who would care?

"No you don't!" Ron said suddenly.

"What?"

"You're going to put on that noise again aren't you?"

Harry looked shocked. "How'd you know that?"

"You were reaching for the pocket you keep it in. I've made note so I can run whenever you do." Ron told him.

"Look it's not my fault the only music you liked was- yuck- Country and Western," he said with a shiver. "Never took you for a Dixie Chicks Man myself." he jabbed lightly.

"They're, what's that word you use- Cool"

"They are SO not cool. Pete Tong is Cool they are... Country and Western, what else can you say. I suppose it's better than your sister's taste in music for the most part."

"Yeah, who's that bird that warbles everything out, soppy girly crap?"

"Celine Dion." Harry said with a sigh. "But at least Ginny likes Techno."

"Ginny is a girl. Perhaps it's a girl thing and you're part girl."

Harry smirked at the jibe, "I think I know a couple of people that can confirm I'm all man mate."

Ron quirked him a surprised look, "I thought you and Cho didn't really get up to much."

"We kissed, if you can call her trying to drown me kissing." Harry said a little heat in his tone.

"That really didn't end well did it mate." Ron said frankly.

"Nope"

"I'm not sure girls are worth it sometimes."

"Oh... they REALLY are." Harry said forcefully. Then he smirked, "You should extract your head from your arse and ask a certain someone out."

"Who you talking about you git" Ron said, blushing in a way that made it obvious he knew who Harry was talking about.

"'Mione can you help me with my Homework... You know the one I finished in secret yesterday!" Harry mocked.

Ron pushed Harry with depressingly little effect. "Here you're getting kind of solid did you know that?" he asked askance.

"I work out, and don't try to dodge the issue at hand here."

"Oh piss off." Ron said, blushing again.

"You're so cute when you blush," he said in a faux girly voice.

"Git"

"Double git"

A sigh was heard, "I see you two haven't improved over the summer," a familiar girl's voice said.

The two boys looked at each other blanching, "How long were you standing there 'Mione?" Ron asked carefully neutral.

"Oh I just arrived with my mom and dad. We're a bit early but traffic was so light today," she said pointing over her shoulder and her parents who were talking to Mrs. Weasley.

"Had a good summer then Hermy?" Harry asked with a teasing grin.

She shot him a glare.

"Don't start flirting with her as well!" Ron whispered fiercely in his ear.

"Jealous?" Harry whispered back.

"It's rude to whisper you know." Hermione said in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry 'Mione" they chorused.

"And I had a great summer thanks. We went to Portugal for a few weeks." she informed them, taking a seat beside Ron on Harrys' battered old trunk. It was just barely big enough for the three of them so they squashed together tightly. Which was causing Ron to blush at the tips of his ears, Harry shot him a knowing smirk.

"How was your summer?" she asked.

"Harry here has turned into a smarmy git over the summer" Ron said his annoyance at Harry's teasing showing.

"I'm sorry."

"Ron's just jealous because I got the wink."

"Wink?"

"And you had that sales girl fawning all over you, thought you'd turned into Malfoy for a minute with Pansy or something."

"Hey!" Harry said with a little anger.

"Well not really" Ron allowed.

"What ARE you two talking about?" Hermione asked.

"We took a trip to Harrods." Harry said.

"Oh I just love it there, did you visit the food court?"

"YEAH" Ron said with a gleam.

"Omnia Omnibus Ubique" Hermione quoted, "It's what makes it such an amazing place."

The two guys shot each other a look and just sort of shrugged.

"It's the Harrods Motto. 'All things for all people, Everywhere.'" she told them.

"Oh right, then now we get you." Harry said. "Ron's been all of once and twice for me. How many times have you been?"

"Oh loads of times, but it's pretty expensive."

Harry leaned behind Ron and shook his head in warning.

Hermione frowned at him, but smoothly changed tact. "I just love all the clothes they have there, and some of the ... best perfumes."

"Yeah Harry got Ginny some." Ron said, "Offered me some after shave but I think it's good to be natural you know."

"You did?" Hermione asked, shocked.

Harry shot her a warning look.

She smirked at him, totally missing the actual point he was trying to make. "Well good, she deserves someone to buy her nice things."

Harry rolled his eyes.

Ron shot him a suspicious look, filled with brotherly over protectiveness.

"Just No" Harry said firmly. "She's like a bloody sister to me alright."

"Good" Ron said, "I know Mum wants you to go out with her, but I dunno about it."

No one saw the short red head girl stopped dead behind them with a stunned look on her face. Then she sort of slumped and walked away.

Molly Weasley noticed her daughter's distress and quickly moved over to her. "What's the matter dear?"

"I don't want to talk about it mum" was the despondent reply.

"Ginny you can talk to me."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," she admitted

"Is this about Harry?" Molly said taking an intuitive leap.

"Yeah, is it that obvious?" Ginny said with a fat tear rolling down her cheek.

"Oh baby, whatever is the matter."

"I just overheard him saying that he thinks about me as a sister nothing else."

"Oh" Molly said, feeling somewhat disappointed herself. She had hopes her only daughter would ensnare her man.

"What should I do mum?"

"I wouldn't normally dream of saying this to my fifteen year old daughter."

"What?" Ginny asked curiously.

"You have to find a way to... convince him otherwise." Molly said, tasting each word as it came out of her mouth

"How mum?" Ginny asked curiously, her eyes lighting up again.

'Oh sweet Merlin' Molly thought to herself. "By... not acting in a sisterly fashion."

"Are you saying I should jump him or something?"

"No- well maybe a little" Molly said blushing to the roots of her hair.

Ginny gave a slightly evil smile. "Interesting"

"Just be discrete dear. You don't want to go over board. He might get the wrong idea about you. Do you see what I'm trying, badly I might add, to say here?"

"I think so mum. You don't want me to make him think I'm a big ole slut or something."

Molly winced.

-oOo-

The landscape whizzed by as the Express built up a full head of steam. Harry looked out of the window without really focusing on the scenery all that much. He was listening to Hermione and Ron back and forth a rolling argument that had started just before they had boarded. It did not look to be stopping anytime soon. As far as he was concerned, they should just kiss already. The thought gave Harry a slightly jealous pang. He quite liked Hermione himself, but he knew Ron did, possibly more than he did. One did not mess about with a mates girl after all, even if, strictly speaking she was not anyone's girl yet, or was likely to be Ron's, with the way they were arguing. He was going to have to resort to extreme measures if they were not going out by Christmas he decided.

With that decided, he set his mind to planning his first school prank. He had been thinking about focusing on only the Snakes, but if he did that, it would be unfair, not to mention obvious who was doing it.

His first one though was for the snakes alone. With that decided, he pulled off his specs and wand in hand toyed with the enchantments he had in place. He put them back on, forgetting to turn them off and a silly grin appeared on his face.

Eventually Hermione realized that she was being stared at. She looked at Harry curiously. "What?" she asked.

'Lace underwear, black too, who knew?' Harry thought, and then gave himself a shake, ran a finger along the arms of his glasses, thus turning off the enchantment. "Sorry was lost in thought, what did you say."

"You had a ... weird smile on your face mate." Ron put in.

'Well at least they aren't arguing.'

"Did I?" he asked faintly.

"Hmm." Hermione agreed.

"Well it must've been strange for you two to actually agree on something," Harry said with a pointed look at them both.

They flushed and looked everywhere but at him, or each other. Mission accomplished Harry smirked to himself and looked out the window again.

"So Harry, what've you gotten up to this summer apart from going to Harrods?" Hermione eventually said.

"Not a lot really" Harry told her. Ron snorted.

"What?" she asked.

"He's, oh let's see. Floored Snape"

"I didn't actually want to hurt him that much Ron," Harry corrected.

"What?"

"He's invented a spell to play- CD's I think they are called. Gotten a taste for loud noise, invented something that has the twins stumped. Gotten the headmaster to back down a bit on his protection, Got Tonks so mad she was ready to hex the shit out of him, oh what have you been up to Harry?" Ron finished scathingly. Apparently, he was still smarting over the embarrassment factor.

"A new spell?" Hermione asked. "How?"

"Got a hair pin?" Harry asked.

She shot him a wry look, "Does it look like I can pin my hair?" she asked rhetorically.

"Ask Ginny when you see her then."

"I expect she's got Celine thingy crooning on in her compartment." Ron said with distaste.

"Still say that's better than the bloody Dixie Chicks mate."

"Bog off mate." Ron said with half a smile.

"So Harry has introduced you to Muggle music has he?" Hermione said, "I like the Dixie Chicks too."

"Oh god there's two of them," Harry bemoaned.

"So how's the spell work then?"

"I don't know, but he sure did a lot of Arithmancy before hand." Ron put in.

"Ohh, can I see it?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe later" Harry demurred.

She pouted at him.

"You're cute when you pout did you know that?" Harry said with a wink.

She floundered, opening her mouth a few times.

"Oh and there's the Flirting!" Ron said aggrievedly.

"Just because she winked at me you're sore." Harry said in a singsong voice.

"Flirting? You Harry. I always thought you were too shy." Hermione said academic interest alive in her eyes.

"Is it so wrong for me to flirt with a pretty girl?"

She blushed, "I'm not pretty," she said.

"Come off it Hermione you're gorgeous." he said smoothly.

She blushed and was once again all at sea.

Harry smirked this was brilliant. Hermione was speechless for the first time in her life. Ron, on the other hand, looked ready to pull off his arms and beat him with the sticky end.

'Oh this is brilliant, how can I make this better' Harry thought, 'Or perhaps I could use this to get them together.' He thought, "I know lots of boys fancy you 'Mione. Just look on the effect you had on Viktor," he said with as charming smile as he could dredge up. Yep, he was sure Ron was actually growling now. 'He's going to piss on her any minute, just to mark her as his, I swear he is.' Harry decided.

Hermione was blushing prettily and giving him a slight smile that was really quite attractive. If Ron did not hurry up, he may ask her out himself.

They were saved from any further of Harry's rather focused teasing by the arrival of Draco and his goons at the door. Harry waived his hand, sat back and smirked.

Draco pulled on the door. Frowned and tried again. Harry gave him an inquisitive look. This seemed to annoy the blonde-haired person no end, so he pulled again, harder this time. Repeating the process several times until his 'perfect' hair was all over the place. Ron and Hermione were laughing their socks off by this point and Crabbe and Goyle were looking confused. This was a common expression for them so it was actually hard to tell what they were thinking.

Draco mouthed something, but Harry had silenced the door on the way in so they could not hear a thing. He gesticulated quite a bit, apparently working himself into something of a rage. He then pointed his wand at Harry.

Harry's wand was in his hand in a blink and he was on his feet just as fast. Then he just stared steadily through the window in the door. A slightly teasing smirk on his face

Draco threw his hands up in the air and minced away with a quite unmanly gait.

Harry turned to his friends with dancing eyes. "I suppose Ferrets just can't work a door lock," he said, flipping the lock open.

Hermione lost it and leaned against Ron. He took on a startled bunny expression when she braced herself on his thigh to right herself.

Harry shot him a knowing look, causing Ron to turn even redder.

Harry sat back in his seat and crossed one leg over the other in a casual relaxed pose. "That was in all ways and meanings of the word, fun." he commented. Sending Hermione off on one again and even Ron lost his annoyance enough to join in.

"So enough of the amazing bouncing Ferret, I wonder who shall arrive next at the cabin of Harry Potter," Harry said with an over the top announcers voice.

"You're mad." Hermione decided.

"You don't know the half of it 'Mione," Ron said with a sigh.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you should ask Tonks about his incessant flirting with her. Mum thinks it's bloody hilarious."

"I'll have to write her."

"Don't bother she'll be around Hogwarts this year. In disguise though, and no I have no idea who."

"Ohh, better be careful and watch your back then mate. She looked good and mad at you earlier."

"That's alright I was pretty pissed myself."

"I heard. Even I don't swear that much." Ron said.

"You are swearing quite a bit Harry. It's not polite you know." Hermione put in.

"Nor am I" Harry shot back with a grin.

"You used to be." she replied shortly.

Harry shrugged, "Was too down trodden to be anything but." he told her. "Well I'm out from under foot and I intend to bloody enjoy myself." He said and with that, sat back and lit a cigarette.

"HARRY!" Hermione said scandalized.

"Yes?" Harry asked.

"You're smoking."

"You should've seen it when he tried lighting up in the kitchen"

"Was a bit rude of me I suppose. But I was concentrating on an equation and forgot where I was. It helps me think," he explained without care.

"That's a disgusting habit and really bad for you."

Harry looked at her, "You mean I know something you don't!" he said with a gleam.

"Hell even I know this." Ron put in.

"What?" Hermione asked with some frustration.

"We're savouring the moment here, do you mind." Harry said with a teasing grin.

"It's an odd sort of feeling isn't it?" Ron said with a grin.

"WHAT!" Hermione said.

"Don't get the lace in a knot," Harry said with a wink.

Hermione blanched, and then turned bright red. "How..."

"Magic completely renders smoking harmless. Just the nicotine gets through. It kills all the nasty stuff. It's why you never hear of Wizards dying of cancer."

"I'll want to know how you know," she said fiercely.

"Know what?" Ron asked, clueless, thankfully. Harry did not think he would enjoy Ron pummelling him.

Harry tapped the arm of his glasses, knowing Hermione would take it to mean a never you mind type of expression. When in fact he was actually telling her everything she needed to know. Well perhaps he had not told her everything. She wasn't to know he'd enchanted his glasses to no prescription, to see various spectrum's of light and even straight through things like... clothing for instance. They were also impervious to Accio and the alike, water repelling and with a word, summoned all with no use of his own magic. It had been a little project, and a challenge to get the runes so small too.

She frowned at him, her expression severe.

He just smiled charmingly at her, "They really are quite fetching." he told her.

She was speechless again, possibly with apoplectic anger this time though. However, Harry was finding pressing people's buttons to almost breaking point was quite amusing. If slightly naughty, but where was the fun with out the naughtiness?

Talking of Naughtiness... he had just seen Lavender walk by. She backtracked, looked at him and gave him a weak smile. Harry frowned slightly as she beat a hasty retreat.

He excused himself from a bemused Ron and spluttering Hermione and went after her.

"Lav, you ok?" he asked.

She blushed slightly. Then sort of half nodded.

He looked from side to side, his wand flicking a vague circle around them. "Privacy circle, now you can tell me what's wrong."

"Oh Harry, you don't think I'm easy do you?" she gushed.

Harry blinked, "What?"

"I mean, I've never been so... wanton before. It's just when you touch me and kiss me I loose all sense of propriety." she continued to gush.

He took her chin in his hand and gently angled her head to look him in the eye, "Do you regret that night?" he asked her, worried about her answer.

"Oh god no! I just don't want you to think me a whore. If it got out I would be ruined," she said a few tears leaking from her luminescent blue eyes.

"Lavender my darling... I don't think you are a whore, easy or anything of the sort. Perhaps we got a little out of hand, but we're young free and single. As for word getting out I'll die before I tell anyone I promise. I also cannot be 'read' by certain teachers either. Therefore, I give you my word of honour. No I'll do this properly." he said and held out his wand, "On my magic I do so swear I will tell no one that doesn't know about what has happened between us." a warm rush of magic filled the air sealing his promise into a magically binding oath. If he were to tell a soul that did not already know, he would become a squib.

"Oh thank you" she said in a rush and gave him a hug. "You really don't think poorly of me?"

"Hell no Lav I had one hell of a time and enough good memories to fuel a HUGE Patronus thanks to you, I hope we could do it again, the kissing I mean. We don't have to do anything you don't want to. However, I do understand if you want nothing more to do with me."

Lavender smiled at him, turning a little sultry. "I think, Harry, you'll have to beat me off with a stick when you're bored with me."

"I can't see that happening."

"Still casual though, I couldn't handle being your girlfriend. I think I'd go grey" she said semi apologetically.

"I'm not looking for that sort of relationship, certainly not until I've taken out ole snake face."

She snorted a laugh, "If anyone can Harry it'll be you." she told him softly. She looked around, seeing no one she darted forward and gave him a small kiss. She backed off and smiled. "Just wow." she said and walked off.

Harry smiled to himself, disbursed the privacy shield and walked back to his cabin with a spring to his step.

"You" Hermione said when he got back, "Come with me." she said and grabbed him by the arm. She dragged him to a private spot and turned on him. She opened her mouth and Harry put a finger on her lips. She tried to look down at it.

"Wait" he said and created the same private area as he had just used. Then he removed his finger.

"I demand to know how you know my choice in underwear!" she said, her eyes molten with anger.

"I'm not telling," he said teasingly.

She darted forward and grabbed his glasses. 'Thank god they're keyed to me alone' he thought briefly though he was impressed with the way her mind worked. She looked through them suspiciously. Then her eyes went wide, "Harry, there's no prescription on these."

"My eyes are better now, but the glasses are so Me.," he said with a grin.

She smirked, "And they make people underestimate you in a fight. They think one Accio and its over."

"Actually they're immune to that charm, but they could be knocked off I suppose." Harry admitted.

"I still want to know?" she demanded hands on hips.

"You're quite beautiful when you're angry by the way." Harry told her.

She flushed, but wasn't deterred, "Now Harry"

"A complete shot in the dark, though I am interested to see your reaction. I wonder if Ron would like to know."

"Don't you dare!" she said furiously.

Harry leaned forward, whispered, "Very sexy image", and then gave her a lingering peck on the cheek. He then promptly dropped the privacy dome and sauntered off down the train to see if Ginny was indeed playing Celine Dion. Leaving a confused Hermione holding her cheek and blushing like virgin bride

It did not take him long to find the carriage in question or the compartment. Just about everyone was crowded around it. He breezed through the crowd that parted like the red sea for him and he poked his head into the carriage.

"Oh Ginny, not Dion AGAIN!" he said with a mocking smile.

"Hello Harry, I was just showing off the charm you taught me." Ginny said with a smile she hoped was inviting. There was no time like the present to begin his re-education after all.

To her annoyance, he did not seem to notice. He came in the compartment and sat next to Luna, flashing the blond in question a smile in the process. "Hi there" he said.

"Hello Harry, I see you have harboured the Poliewryms to your labours then." she replied to some giggling.

"Abso-bloody-lutely." Harry agreed. "Never know when you might need a Poliewrym," he said very seriously, causing the sniggering to stop dead.

"I think they may be in pain though." Luna told him in an aside.

"Perhaps it's Ginny's choice in music," he rejoined.

"Hey this is good stuff." the red head shot at him.

"For the hopelessly romantic perhaps." Harry told her with a smirk. He fished in one of his many pockets and pulled out a CD in its case. "Now this on the other hand..."

Ginny rolled her eyes at him, "Go on then"

He tossed it in place and caught the other CD as it 'ejected' the music immediately changed to the thrumming beat of some clubbing music.

"Is that club music?" a voice asked from the doorway, "Here?"

"Hey Parv." Harry said with a sexy smile.

She smiled at him in much the same way, "Well Hello Harry." she said. Causing Ginny to glare at her.

"I picked up some CD's. I've recently found I quite liked this sort of music. But had nothing to play it on. So..." he waived a hand at the spinning silver disk.

"That is so cool" she enthused, "Wait until I tell Lav. She'll be on at you to teach her the charm."

"Well she can get her own Hair pin, I'm running out" Ginny said, slightly put out.

"Hair pin?" Parv asked.

"The most important part. Other than the Poliewryms of course." he said with a nod towards the blond beside him.

Parv rolled her eyes, "You and blondes." she muttered. Not quietly, enough as everyone just looked at her. She blushed faintly, "Well. Must dash," she said moving swiftly away.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Harry... What did she mean by that?" Ginny asked curiously.

"No idea. The day I understand women is the day I die." he said promptly too much laughter from the males in the area, "Viva La Difference though" he said causing the glares he was receiving to go away. Except the one, he was getting from Ginny.

He bobbed his head to the music, and tapped his foot.

"So what's going on up here then?" a voice asked, pushing past the others Cho appeared in the doorway. "Oh... Hello Harry"

"See Brunette" Harry commented.

"Sorry?" Cho asked, and then frowned at the CD spinning, "What's that."

"CD Player" Ginny snapped, crossing her legs for maximum skin revelation.

"Well turn it off it's disturbing the other passengers." Cho snapped back, thrusting out her prefect's badge.

Harry sighed, rolled his eyes and flicked his wand at the doorway. Causing all sound to stop going further than the doorway. He then did the same for all the walls and the window. "There, now we're not disturbing anyone."

"You're not supposed to do magic on the train really you know" Cho told him primly.

He smiled at her charmingly.

"But I suppose I'll let it go this time" she added with a smile at him.

"Thank you Cho" he said.

She bustled away to do other Prefect duties.

Harry rolled his eyes at her retreating back.

"Anyone would think you didn't like our Miss Chang Harry," Luna pointed out dreamily.

"What ever gave you that idea my dear Luna?"

She focused on him, her blue eyes becoming quite intense. He met her gaze steadily, enjoying her lucidity for however long it lasted. He did note that she was actually quite a looker on the quiet. However, he was noticing a lot more about the women around him these days. Shame she was 15.

"I'll be 16 at Christmas," she said seemingly unexpectedly.

Harry shot her a piercing look and checked the status of his mental shielding. He hadn't felt as much as a tickle, there was no way she had bypassed his shielding... was there?

She just smiled and went back to reading her paper upside down as was her usual foible.

Harry gave her a double take and shook it off. The compartment was now quite crowded as everyone had piled in when he cut off the music past the doorway. "Right, just thought I'd pop in and say Hi. Hermione has had sufficient time to stew now. So I suppose I should be off.," he said moving off.

Luna looked at her red haired friend and nodded towards her virtually bare thigh. "He's gone now, so you can cover up dear," she said with a dreamy smile.

Ginny frowned, not so much as a damn look. This was not to true of most of the other boys in the compartment who were sneaking quite a few looks. She did after all have quite nice legs, or so she thought anyway. Or was that hoped, damn Harry he really was fixed in his view of her. She would have to do something drastic instead. She covered up, much to the disappointment of the males in the area and switched the track with a flick of her wand, losing herself in planning and listening to the music.

-oOo-

After leaving the train, then to their transport and up to the castle Harry and the others sat down to the usual start of the term feast. As well as the usual announcements. Harry won a bet with himself; apparently, just about everything the twins made got onto the banned list. Not that he cared. His first prank was due soon and it did not use even one of their items. He was saving those for later.

Ron dove into his food like it was about to run off or something. Hermione on the other hand kept shooting him these slightly strange looks and smiling faintly to herself. It was quite unnerving on the quiet. Lavender on the other hand was shooting him heated looks when no one else was looking and at one point mouthed to him, 'Tonight at 12 Astronomy tower.'

He had nodded with a carefully neutral expression and gone back to his meal. However, on the inside he was doing a very happy little dance complete with jumping around like a loon.

He also noticed that Luna was occasionally looking over at him with an intense gaze and inquiring look on her face. The day he figured out that particular girl was the day he would become Minister for magic. She was not the only Ravenclaw looking at him either. Cho kept shooting him these lost looks that were starting to grate on his nerves more than a little. So far, he had blanked her totally. He had no idea what her game was this time, but after being used as a fill in last year, salty kisses and all. Well he had no plans on giving her another chance to screw him up that was for damn sure.

He picked at his meal in the end, too much going on in his mind to concentrate on his food.

"You eating that?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head and pushed the plate towards him.

"Thanks mate."

"Honestly Ron, you're going to get fat!" Hermione told him.

Ron shook his head. "Nah" he replied, "I'm a growing lad."

"In diameter if you keep that off. You'll be too fat for a broom to lift you if you're not careful." Hermione replied.

'AAAnd they're off.' Thought Harry. Just then, he felt a knocking on his shields, causing him to turn towards the head table. Dumbledore beckoned to him.

He pushed back from the table and walked confidently up to the headmaster. "Yes Sir?" he asked.

"I wonder if you would mind meeting me in my Office after dinner, Harry. I have some school business to discuss with you."

"Of course sir." Harry replied and waited to be dismissed.

"Thank you Harry that is all."

Harry nodded and went back to his seat just in time for pudding to be served.

Shortly thereafter, he once again passed it off to the human dustbin and looked up to the head table. Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall were absent. He wondered if that was a bad sign. He pushed away from the table again, "Catch you lot later." he said as he walked by he winked at Lavender on the QT and walked out of the main hall and headed towards the Headmaster's Office.

Along the way Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, ambushed him. The damn thing nearly tripped him up by winding its way through his legs. He gave it an odd look, knelt and petted her behind the ears. A loud rumbling emitted from her and he suddenly realized she was actually purring at him.

"'Ere, what are you doing to my cat!" Filch said angrily walking forward and snatching her away from Harry.

"I was just saying hello." Harry said defensively.

"You better not have done anything." Filch said with a glare. Harry was sure Filch still believed that Harry was the one that petrified her in his second year.

Mrs. Norris meowed at him, and reached out a paw.

"What are you doing?" Filch asked his cat, walking away briskly. "I'm watching you boy." he shot over his shoulder.

Harry rolled his eyes, "You and everyone else mate." he muttered, resuming his walk.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's inner sanctum. "Oh bollocks" Harry said, "I didn't get the password."

The staircase promptly appeared. "Bollocks is the password?" he said incredulously.

"No Mr. Potter It is NOT," Professor McGonagall said firmly.

"Oh sorry professor I didn't see you there."

"Apparently not. It would behove you not to swear quite so much, especially when school is in session," she told him sternly. Then that was generally how she said things. "Well, come on then!"

Harry followed her up the winding staircase, blushing faintly. He could not believe she had heard that, or that he believed Dumbledore would use that as a password. However, you lived and learned. He hoped.

The strict professor led him into the office where he saw Professor's Snape and Dumbledore already waiting for him.

"Why do I have the urge to bolt?" he muttered.

McGonagall smothered a grin.

"Ahh Harry, thank you for joining us. We have a couple of things to discuss, and Professor's McGonagall and Snape are involved with them."

"Oh?" Harry said noncommittally. "What can I do for you Professors?"

Snape's eyes just glittered at him, McGonagall was apparently to go first as she said, "I have this for you Mr Potter." handing him a badge.

Harry looked at it in shock. Reading it twice to be sure. "Captain?" he asked for clarification.

"You ban was lifted was it not."

Harry smiled at her warmly, "It was. But I'm sorry Professor I can't accept this."

She blinked at him in shock, "Why ever not?"

"I'm a flyer Ma'am. Not a thinker, you want Ron. Not me. He would make a brilliant captain. He has the strategy in his veins; you should try playing chess against him sometime. He also has buckets of love for the game. More than me even. I would say he was the perfect choice actually. So... Thank you but no thank you."

She took the badge back, slightly surprised to say the least. "I'll think about what you said. Is he really that good at chess?" she asked.

"No one can beat him in the tower." Harry told her.

"Perhaps I'll challenge him to a game myself," she said.

"I think he'd love that Professor. No one is a challenge to him anymore. If you could I'd love to see the smug git taken down a peg too," he said with twinkling eyes, gaining a chuckle from Dumbledore and one McGonagall as well.

"Very well, after that somewhat surprising result I'm wary of the next item." Dumbledore told him.

"Now I'm worried." Harry said, "Sir" he added belatedly.

"Tis nothing fearful... I hope. If you remember you ran a small... club of like minded individuals last year."

Harry's lips twitched, "If that's what you want to call it sir."

"We would like to make it a sanctioned study group with a class room and structured learning." Dumbledore told him.

"That would be excellent sir, It'd need a Professor well versed in the subject though," Much to the shock of all involved he turned to Professor Snape. He had not had time to go through everything so far, but he knew the man knew his subjects very well. His love for potions was only eclipsed by his knowledge of DADA.

"Me?" Snape said in surprise. "No. No. Potter. We're talking about you..."

Harry blinked, "I'm hardly a professor sir. Nor do I claim to be an expert in the subject."

"Yet you successfully trained several other students to the level where they all passed with an O, despite somewhat lacklustre teaching in the subject." Dumbledore said.

Harry shrugged, "I didn't work alone sir."

"Ahh yes, you're usual cohorts I suspect." Snape said smoothly. "I expect you could call upon Miss Granger's expertise with a book again this year. Though I fail to understand what Mr. Weasley brings to the group."

"Respectfully sir," Harry began, Snape snorted, but Harry pressed on, "That's because you don't really know him. As I said, he has an impressive mind for strategy and tactics. Which are both important for any fight you want to walk away from."

"Which rather neatly proves our point don't you think." Dumbledore put in. "We are suggesting that we make you an Assistant Professor. Your duties will be to run the club on a weekly basis and help out Professor Snape in the Classroom."

"And you're okay with that... sir?" Harry asked Snape.

"I hate to admit, but you do have some talent in the area and an impressive memory for spells. Besides I need a willing target dummy," he said smiling thinly.

'Holy shit Snape made a joke!' Harry thought, 'Though I suspect I'm going to get the piss hexed out of me on a regular basis.', "Well at least this time I'll be helping someone that knows the subject. Lockhart had me enacting scenes from his bloody books!" Harry said in an aggrieved tone.

Snape snorted.

"That's Professor Lockhart Mr. Potter," McGonagall reminded him.

"With all due respect Professor the man is in St Mungo's drooling like an idiot wearing a bib and being spoon fed gruel. I don't think he qualifies for the title."

'Okay now I'm freaked, Snape just laughed at something I said'

"Perhaps you should remember you're in part at fault for his condition," Dumbledore advised.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm not the prat that tried to Obliviate two 12 year olds with a dodgy wand... Sir"

Dumbledore's moustache twitched in amusement.

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall warned him with her tone.

"My apologies, pillock?" he hazarded, causing Snape to snort once more, softly.

McGonagall smirked slightly. "One should respect their elders."

"Respect is earned Professor." Harry said with no rancour to his tone, "Mr. Lockhart was not a widely respected figure. Unless you count the brainless ditzes that brought into his 'best smile award,'" he said the last with a fake happy voice.

Snape once again snorted. Apparently, in this one subject they were of a like mind.

McGonagall just quirked an eyebrow at him and let the matter rest.

Harry turned to Snape, "The question is sir. Are you willing to work with me, especially given recent events? For which I once again apologize for keeping you under for so long.," he said in one long breath.

Snape studied him for a long moment before giving him a curt nod. Which Harry took to mean yes.

"Then I'm game." Harry said.

"Now there is a certain amount of responsibility inherent with this job."

"Job?"

"You get paid Harry."

Harry waived that off, "I don't need the money, either re-budget it, or better yet create a trust or something."

"Trust?"

"For students that otherwise may not be able to come to Hogwarts" Harry said thinking as he spoke, "Actually I would quite like to contribute to something like that, personally. I might be able to drum up some other business too in the coming months."

"Ahh, your entrepreneurial endeavours, I take it." Dumbledore noted. "I like this idea though. There are several students a year who are unable to come to us because they can't afford either the fees or the equipment."

"I'll talk to my banker and start off the fund with... I dunno a million Galleons."

Snape goggled at him.

"That's rather a lot Harry."

"I know, but I'm afraid it's not even a scratch on my other funds. It is about two month's interest actually. There is a condition though." Harry told him.

"What is that?" Dumbledore said reeling slightly; he had controlled the trust fund part of the estate. Not the Potter Trust that of course was now combined with the Black vaults as well.

"Keep my name out of it for goodness sake, PLEASE."

"Why on earth..." Snape sputtered.

"I know you think I relish my fame sir. I do not. I'd quite like Snake Face to have been run over by the knight bus when I was one and for him to have never met me or listened to any; special notices. I could be quite happy without the 'fame' I have or the cost of said fame. It hurts me and hurts my friends. That is not to say I'm above using it when I need to, but I try to only use it for positive things. So Professor I respectfully suggest you never gain fame, you will not much like it. The Wizarding world thinks I am some sort of super star..., which I am to them, I suppose. However, I am just like any other 16-year-old guy. I just want to find a cute girl to snog and bunk off classes every so often."

Dumbledore burst into laughter. Snape on the other hand was looking thoughtful and the person he was expecting to give him a lambasting was actually looking quite proud.

"So if you keep my name out of it all, totally securely that is. I will pop a cool million into the kitty to get it started up. I'll also see if I can talk Gred and Forge into putting something in too, especially if our idea takes off." Harry suddenly looked alert. "I forgot to tell them something too. Has anyone got any parchment?" he asked.

Dumbledore waived at his desk, "I think you may just find the odd piece empty on here."

"Thanks" Harry said and jotted a note to the twins. "Now I better owl this to them before they write out the mechanics for the spell and can't add this."

"Your new ability with Arithmancy goes beyond the mere book learned knowledge Harry," Dumbledore told him.

"Fred and George are experts too, but they didn't even take the course in school. Oh and I think they might be interested in some sort of correspondence course if at all possible."

"I would take them back in a heartbeat you understand." Dumbledore informed him.

Snape groaned.

"They were truly brilliant students. Perhaps not to Miss Grangers calibre but they were brilliant. They just focused on other things." Dumbledore informed the groaning Professor.

"You don't have to worry Professor," Harry said with a smirk, "Mrs. Weasley already asked them and they said no, the business needs them. Thus; the correspondence idea."

"Such has been done in the past I believe Minerva?"

"Indeed it has. I could draw up a schedule."

"I'd make it flexible, they weren't talking about doing it straight away, but I can't help but think investors, other than me, might not take them seriously without their NEWTS at least." Harry said. "Professor, sorry." he added almost as an after thought.

"You may talk to us more informally as you have accepted the post Harry."

Harry screwed up his face, "Hmmm, not sure I could actually. You do realize that Mrs. Weasley still calls you Professor and she's been out of school for years."

"You wouldn't believe how many times I have tried to convince her to do otherwise." the Headmaster confided.

Harry laughed, "I might." he replied. "Was there anything else I need to owl this and get unpacked?"

Dumbledore looked thoughtful, "I would like it if you would agree to join me for...informational chats on a certain subject."

"Okay Professor anytime you want."

"We'll call them advanced Occlumancy lessons, despite I suspect that you are a master at the art now."

"Okay, sounds like a good cover, doubtless I still have much to learn on the subject anyway."

"Also I must ask... have you brought your CD player?" the headmaster asked with a twinkling expression.

Harry smirked and brought out the bobby pin that made up the main physical part of the device.

The headmaster brought out a matching pin, "Could you make me one? I've found they have re-released the white album."

"What's a CD?" Snape asked McGonagall, who just shrugged.

Harry pulled out his wand and began to cast, verbally this time so the Headmaster would know what he was doing. "I added the cooling you suggested and amplified the signal by about 200%, so watch out it can get VERY loud."

"I think I must suggest to Filius that he teach silencing spells and the creation of cones of silence. Otherwise I fear the house elves may revolt."

-oOo-

Harry appeared on the Astronomy tower with five minutes to spare, yet Lavender was already there waiting for him.

"Harry?" she called out softly.

"Hey there you." Harry said reaching for her. She backed off, causing him to frown slightly.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I don't know... I'm just not in the mood for anything... you know... tonight." she asked with a slightly curious expression on her face.

"Okay, would you like to sit and watch the stars for a while?" he asked.

She beamed at him, "Thank you Harry." she said.

"What for?"

"Proving you don't just think of me as someone to fool around with." she told him, then grabbed him and proceeded to redirect his blood flow with a hot kiss.

Soon, he had her against the wall, her hands above her head as he kissed her neck passionately. His hands roving around her body pulling up her school issue robe and skirt, flashing an expanse of leg in the process. She curled one leg around his waist and let herself be picked up, his face level with her breasts.

"Go on, I know you want to" she breathed.

Just then, the sound of footsteps sounded from the stairwell.

"Is there someone there Mrs. Norris?"

"Shit... Filch" Lavender said. "Can you... you know here?"

"Never tried, willing to give it a go though... Where to?"

"Back to the dorms, we need to find somewhere better than this to meet," she said breathlessly.

He whirled them away just as Filch reached eye height appearing invisible in Gryffindor tower. No one was around so he allowed them to be seen.

"Damn" he said, "That was close."

"We NEED somewhere private before we try that again. I don't like being interrupted" she said lustfully. "Damn I'm all wound up now," she said in a desperate tone.

"I'll find somewhere." Harry promised, then gave her a quick kiss, "Go off to bed, I'll let you know okay?"

She nodded, pausing to look at him hotly, "Soon. Please"

"Hell yeah" He told her.

With that, she crept up stairs towards her dorm.

Harry frowned, and walked to his own dorm, sliding in unnoticed in all the snoring, mostly from Ron's bed. He grabbed his coat and slid it on. He had made the charms somewhat more interesting on the coat than his cloak and it would render him undetectable. First, though he had to consult his fathers map.

He sat on his bed, pulling the drapes and silencing them and adding a perimeter alert ward. Then he flattened out the map and started to search.

It was morning by time his ward tripped and Ron poked his head through the curtains. "Whatcha doing?" he asked. Then added, "Cor what the hell is that?" he said indicating the three-dimensional map hovering over a piece of parchment.

Harry indicated he should come inside the curtains and pulled them after his friend was inside. He reset the alert ward.

"This is a bit like the Marauder's map," he said slowly, "It's taken me most of the night to get it right and I copied a shit load from the original. But the Two dimensional view just wasn't doing it for me."

"Fucking hell Harry, is there anything you can't do now?" Ron said in a slightly awed tone.

"Anyone can do this Ron; it's just the application of theory and a crap load of charms work. Just study and you will be able to do it too. Besides, I nicked all the mapping charms from the original. Which according the maintenance mode my Mum had a hand in too."

"Maintenance mode?"

"Maintain Mischief" Harry said tapping the original map. A series of diagnostic spells appeared in mid air. "I think they made it so you could add features if you wanted. However, I couldn't add a proper view without stripping it down to the base components and destroying the original map. Well you know Dad and that made this." Then he smirked, "This'll give you a laugh though."

He tapped the map, "I'm feeling horny," he said getting a look from Ron. The map changed to a pink hue and various 'secret' locations shown in bright red, with members of the opposite sex shown in pink and prefects in bold type. The cupboards that were big enough for certain activities glowed and pulsed. Harry noticed that even at this early hour some were ... otherwise occupied.

"Cool" Ron breathed, "Can I borrow this when I get a girl."

"I'm not sure Hermione is a broom cupboard kind of girl."

"Just lay off that will you?" Ron said hotly.

Harry held up his hands, "Sorry mate didn't realize you were so touchy about it. Still say you should ask her out though."

"I dunno, I was thinking someone else."

"Oh... Who?"

"I'm not telling you, you'll just take the piss."

"True enough I suppose" Harry replied glibly.

"So what are you looking for?"

"A solitary spot" Was the somewhat cryptic reply.

"Huh?"

"Hmmm." Harry said, "That's strange."

"What is?" Ron said looking at the more modern map.

Harry pointed with his wand and an area of the map 'zoomed' in. "That's the room of requirement I reckon."

"There's nothing there."

"Exactly. The map lists every other room, but five."

"Five?"

"Hmm, this is where the come and go room would be I think. These other four have me stumped. One is under the Ravenclaws, One under the green houses, number 5 to be precise. There is one in the tower, as in this one. Here look." he said zooming another area.

"There's just a blank spot."

"I know, but it's not a wall and it's too big. A place like this does not have wasted space like that, the Griff's one is pretty big too. About twice the size of the common room, I'd say. Which is almost adjacent to this room see?"

Ron nodded vaguely, "Is this going to take long I'm hungry."

Harry let out a sigh, "When aren't you?"

"When I'm asleep."

"Bet you dream of food though." Harry said with a grin.

Ron grinned back at him. "Okay so what's the last one that's got you so interested?"

"Well so far there's been one that connects in some way with each house. We all know that Hufflepuff was into Gardening in a big way, Ravenclaw tower has a room nearby, and Gryffindor tower has a room. Are you seeing a pattern here?"

"Not a jot of it mate."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Don't you see every Founder has a room."

"What about old snake lips them?"

"That's where it gets strange. It's nowhere near the snake pit. Or the chamber, which only shows on this map by the way because I added it. It's masked somehow."

"Huh, okay enough thinking let's eat."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay fine." he said waiving a hand at his map.

Ron frowned "That isn't very secure," he said and waived a hand over the map. Nothing happened. "Okay what's the trick to this one then?"

"There isn't one really. It's keyed to me alone."

"What if I want to borrow it?"

"I'll make you your own if you like."

Ron beamed at him, "That'd be cool, the twins'll be jealous as hell."

"Ooookay"

"Oh I think it's about time to get to breakfast now," Harry said checking his Titanium Rolex.

"Now who's in a hurry?"

Harry just smirked. He had slipped out earlier to set in motion a little... surprise for that morning's meal.

They joined up with Hermione at the common room and walked down together. Two of the party suddenly wondered why Harry was suddenly smirking evilly. He was also looking anywhere but at Hermione.

They took a seat at the long table that was their houses own and waited for breakfast to be served.

Hermione suddenly jogged Ron's elbow, as he was closest. "Ron... Is that Justin in his underpants?"

"What? Bloody hell Hannah Abbots in her underwear!"

"No she's not she's fully dressed."

"She isn't but Justin is."

A similar rash of conversations rippled around the great hall.

"Go Luna" Harry breathed.

"Why's she got fuzzy bits over her knockers?" Ron asked. "At least Ginny is dressed."

"Not to me she isn't" Harry said with a big grin.

"Ahh!" Hermione said pointing, looking at her male friends for the first time, "You've got no clothes on!" she exclaimed.

"Nor have you!" Ron said, smiling dopily.

"Ron!"

Harry smirked, oh if only they could see what he could see!

As the hall filled up it became apparent that the boys could see every girl from the fifth year up in their undies and likewise for the girls. Luckily, the facility was likewise unaffected as well.

"HOLY SHIT" Harry suddenly exclaimed.

Ron followed his gaze and saw Daphne Greengrass, "Fucking Hell" he breathed.

"What, and don't swear so."

"Full stockings set, wow," Harry said. "I'm going to find who ever did this and thank them with great gifts," he said with a big fat grin. "Hey Greengrass!" he shouted out.

"WHAT?" she asked, and was already blushing.

"Want to go to Hogsmeade with me," he asked with a full on grin.

"Piss off Potter; in your dreams would I go with you."

"Just thought I'd beat the rush." Harry said with a charming smile.

She blushed quite prettily at him and being a true blonde-haired woman, it went down to her chest.

Lavender shot him a glare, which softened considerably when she saw what he looked like without any clothes in the way. "Oh baby," she breathed.

Several wolf whistles started flowing around the hall.

"Hey stop looking at my sister!" Ron said getting up in a rage and glaring at Dean Thomas.

"I'm sorry mate, but... wow"

"Oi!"

Harry let rip with laughter.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on?" McGonagall demanded.

"All the girls are in their undies Professor" Some little snot replied. Making him the target of some nasty glares.

"We are not, I can see their clothes. It's the boys in the no clothes department!" Cho put in haughtily.

Harry looked at her standing there indignant and was trying to convince himself to overlook her less attractive attributes for the more obvious ones on display at that moment. Of course, he was the only one that could see through the fuzz protecting her privacy. He drew the line out of totally humiliating the girls. He had done the same for the guys but thankfully, no one was going 'commando'.

"Right!" Snape said standing up, "Who is responsible for this. Potter!"

"Please sir, I can... see him too," Cho said, a dreamy look coming over her face.

"Okay who is 'dressed' to everyone?" Dumbledore demanded.

Just the Malfoy and his goons walked in. Moreover, to he was fully dressed.

"Bloody hell, Pansy put some clothes on!" Malfoy demanded.

"What?" Pansy remarked looking down.

Harry wolf whistled her, and laughed his ass off. 'Nice body on that one' he thought to himself. 'Not as nice as Lav though, damn I got to find somewhere quick. But Daphne Greengrass YOWL!' He looked around with a smirk, 'Who else is hot... Welcome to Potter's Hot or Not!' he said in his best mental quizmasters' voice. 'Bloody hell, Tracy Davis is hot. Cho's lean and athletic... Luna, oh baby shame she is not 16 yet, I refuse to go younger. Older though...' He thought eying one of the 7th year prefects.' He was derailed though when he noticed Sarah Michaels from his year. She was in a dorm with Hermione and Lavender etc. She was normally very shy, but she was seriously checking him out... 'Hang on!' he thought to himself.

'It's only bloody Tonks!' he realized, there was no mistaking her aura. She was seriously checking him out though, 'interesting' he decided. His impromptu game show ended as every one was herded out of the hall, thus ending the 'jinx' he had placed on the door.

"Huh" he said, "It's gone."

There was general agreement to his pronouncement. Professor Flitwick then inspected the door. "Amazing, no signature... Focused and selective. You notice no one below fifth year seemed to know what was going on... Amazing charms work." he commented.

"Well when you're quite finished ogling the workmanship," Snape purred dangerously.

Flitwick glared at him, "Finite Incantatem" he said with a swish of his wand. "No protection either." he said, "To sum up nicely done put with no real malice behind it. Otherwise it would've been significantly more difficult to take down."

"I agree Filius." Dumbledore said. "Well now that excitement is out of the way, perhaps we could return to our meals."

Harry ignored the general rush and was about to go into the flow when Luna interrupted him with a firm hand on his arm. "Did you enjoy the show?" she purred dangerously.

'Shit'

"If you wanted to see, you could've just asked," she said with a predatory smile.

Then she walked away leaving Harry blinking after her. He let out a long whistle and joined the flow of humanity back to breakfast. He found himself strangely hungry; however, he was not sure what for. 'Damn I wish she was in our year' he bemoaned to himself once again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Harry liked the night. He especially liked being active when by all rights he should be fast asleep. He glanced at his watch noting that it was midnight.

The witching hour.

Unlike his cloak he did not have to squat under his coat, the field surrounded his entire body allowing him to walk upright and not under a hot clammy cloak. Of course, he could not share the coat. However, he had kept his dads old cloak just in case.

He was investigating. For some reason the room that really interested him was the one he believed belonged to Slytherin. It was quite a bit off the beaten track below where the Philosopher's stone had been hidden. Luckily, he did not have to fight his way past some traps and tricks this time. At least he hoped not. It WAS in the dungeon area of the school though which came as no big shock to Harry. It was just strange that it was so far from anything to do with the house of snakes.

Therefore, he reached down further into the depths of Hogwarts than he had ever gone before glancing at the mini map he had installed on his cuff ever so often. It followed his path quite well and was only visible to his signature. There was a million to one chance of someone being close enough in magical make up for them to see a glowing map floating along by itself, so he felt comfortable with the risk.

He reached what appeared to be a dead end and paused. Apparently, this was it...

'Now what Harry?' He asked himself. 'If I were Slytherin how would I hide a room?' he pondered.

"Psst anyone there?" he said in Parseltongue.

There was a pause and he was berating himself for being foolish when suddenly someone answered. "Who goes there, that speaks the tongue," a sibilant voice asked.

"Erm... Me. I wish entrance to the chambers beyond." he said deactivating his coat, but still speaking the language of snakes, and apparently dragons, because it was a dragon that formed on the wall and eyed him in a two dimensional fashion.

"You speak the tongue as my master did. You may pass unhindered. Beware though only those that speak the tongue will remember the location of this room"

"So I can bring people here, but they won't remember where it is?" he asked for clarification.

"Such are the enchantments on Salazar's private chambers," the dragon told him.

"What's your name?" Harry asked.

"Name, why would I, a simple lock, have a name?" it asked and promptly faded from view to be replaced by a large ominous looking door. Harry gathered his courage, stepped forward and took a hold of the large brass handle. Then walked into his idea of the perfect pad.

The room he entered was luxurious, and spotless. Decked out in the usual colours for the snakes, Silver and green, a combination he did not mind much actually, elegantly understated he thought. Though he quite liked the brash in your face red and gold of Gryffindor too, he walked in, letting the large door close silently behind him. He span round and just took it in, looking at everything and nothing. He would explore more closely later. For now, he was just soaking it in. This could be perfect for his needs. Somewhere to study privately, relax and ... play with others. The best thing being it was all his, only a Parselmouth would even remember the room was here. As far as he knew he was the only Parselmouth other than snake face himself alive at the current time.

This suited him just bloody fine thanks.

The only blip he had was that it was a long, somewhat dodgy journey for two people to make. He would have to come up with a method for instant transportation. He had no wish for his snogging time to be curtailed by constantly walking the hour-long walk it had taken to get there.

He knew an easy way of doing that though. However, that was for later. First, it was time to explore.

He found the study first which had walls lined with some interesting looking tomes. Duelling, Potions and a host of other subjects were covered. 'Nice' he thought to himself. There was also an index volume on one table that according to the notes on the inside could access any book in the building. 'Double nice' he added mentally.

Next, he found a bathroom that had a bath to rival the prefects' bathroom he had used during his fourth year. Though it had less taps and more actual bath, he was sure he could do laps in the damn thing. If he could swim that was. He just hoped it was not too deep.

A small potions lab was next, but all of the ingredients had perished. He bypassed that for now. He may stock it later if he could get the stuff in easily enough.

Up some steps, he found a couple of bedrooms. The master room was enormous and the guest room was not that much smaller. The beds could do with an airing though.

He walked back into the 'lounge' area and sat down on one of the comfortable looking sofas. It had comfort charms on it that had apparently lasted a thousand years all told. This was impressive all by itself.

There was a generous fireplace, unused in some time obviously. A mirror dominated the wall above. Though something was off about it, he adjusted his glasses until eventually he was able to see straight through the bloody thing. There was a small room behind it. This was passing strange to Harry, it searched around a bit and found a section of the wall, that if not for his glasses, he would surely have missed. He laid a hand on it and pushed to no avail. Feeling he had a handle on the weird Salazar by now he said, "Open" in a hiss. The entire section lifted upwards quickly and silently. He walked in and it closed behind him. He walked to where the mirror was, and looked around. There was a pretty good view of the entire living area. There was also a mirror that showed the master bedroom and one for the Guest.

"Slytherin you dog" Harry breathed with a chuff of amusement. This only increased when he saw a still portrait of what could only be Rowena Ravenclaw herself, naked as a jaybird and ... Relaxing.

He shook his head and moved to the 'doorway' opening it with a soft hiss and walking back into the lounge. He sat down again and pondered the best way to get in and out easily.

He conjured a stone and some scoring implements and began to work runes into the top of the stone. Adding co-ordinate information to land him in the centre of the room away from any furniture that was there, though it was a work of guessing on the exact 3d co-ordinates, he just hoped he was not too jarred if he ended up dropping a foot upon arrival. Then he used his personal power to charge the runes, and enchant a teleportation spell into the solid stone. It was probably a misuse of his given powers, but he had to have fun sometimes didn't he? He then keyed it to him alone and added a few security measures.

Then he tested it by pressing the second rune, the return spell. It bleated at him and he frowned. That was the warning that someone was in the common room. He reactivated his coat and hit the override.

There was a blur of motion and he arrived in the common room to find Tonks, as Sarah, reporting in to Dumbledore via the Floo. She was speaking in a low whisper but Harry just about made out what she was saying.

"I don't think he's made me yet," she said.

"Good, good. I was surprised at you telling him before hand though. That's bound to make him nervous."

Tonks grinned.

"I see, you're still angry over what ever it was that made you and Harry both arrive at HQ in such a snit?"

"I'd rather not talk about that Sir."

"Understandable I suppose. Do be careful though Nymphadora. Harry is a very dangerous young man; he is not someone you want to get on the wrong side of."

"I meant to tell you before though. That coat of his is a lot more than it seems to be. You know the one he's pretty much always wearing."

"How so my dear?"

"For one thing he can turn invisible with it."

"Interesting, what else"

"Well I've seen him sat in the sunlight mid day and not break out into a sweat. I can tell you from experience that with the amount of leather he wears generally he'd get bloody hot."

"Also interesting, has he said where he got it from. However, I suspect he will just tell us 'a friend'. He still doesn't really trust us."

"Understandable I'd say, all things considered."

"Perhaps, I am trying to earn his trust though. Together we can stand against Voldemort, divided we will fall."

Tonks shrugged, "Maybe. He's pretty scary when he wants to be though."

"Indeed. As are you Nymphadora"

"If that were true I might be able to get you to stop bloody calling me that," she said with a huff of annoyance.

"But it's such a lovely name." he shot back, "Now off to bed with you. You have class in the morning. Double Potions I believe."

"Oh and thank you so much for letting me re-live school again," she told him.

Dumbledore signed off and she let out another huff of annoyance.

"Oh Harry what am I going to do with you?" she asked the air. Which to her shock answered?

"Bent over in THAT nightie... anything you like" Harry said fading into view.

"Bloody hell Harry! You gave me a fucking Heart attack!"

Harry smirked at her. "How much did you hear?" she added

"Nothing I didn't already know Tonks." Harry replied evenly.

"When'd you make me?"

"Breakfast this morning."

"How?" she asked, "For professional curiosity you understand."

"Trade secret." he shot back.

"I'm busted then?"

Harry shook his head, "I'd suggest we keep this to ourselves. No one need know. I quite like the idea of you having my back."

Tonks smiled at him. She stood and spread her arms, "So what do you think."

"I prefer the real you," he said.

"Who says the one you think is me, is me?" she asked with a lifted brow.

"Oh I didn't mean that, I meant in here," he said touching her just above her left breast.

Her breath caught in her throat for a second.

"Night... Sarah" Harry said, leaving her a confused mess.

-oOo-

Midnight the next day Lavender found herself standing in the common room looking around warily. She dare not call out in case someone came down to investigate the noise she would make. Nevertheless, where the hell was he? Was this turning out to be some sort of cruel prank? She did not think so he was not like that. So where was he?

"Sorry I'm late" a voice reverberated beside her.

She turned and saw nothing. "Harry?" she asked uncertainly.

"Oh bugger, sorry." he said and suddenly faded into view.

She smirked, her earlier worries forgotten now he was there in front of her. "You're just full of tricks aren't you?" she asked with a smirk.

"I'd like to think so." he purred back at her.

She forced down a slight blush. She was dressed in her school clothes still. Most did not bother getting changed unless for the weekend, she had managed to slip into bed without arousing suspicion, Harry's note had been quite terse, but then it needed to be.

'Found somewhere, meet me tonight 12am Common Room'

Which had been the entire message, not that she really minded, this secret liaison of theirs was quite exciting to her. Elicit touches, kisses and perhaps more spoke to her quite a bit. It was not romantic, true, but it was hot in the extreme. Who would have been able to tell that scrawny Harry Potter had turned into such a hottie with the moves to match, all his shyness seemed to have evaporated this year and she was glad for it. Though she truly could not see this 'relationship' of theirs lasting for very long. For one thing she REALLY could not be his girlfriend, another was he was not looking for one. His life was just too complex for her relatively simple ambitions.

It was true that she could probably hitch her wagon to his for a burst of stardom. He was after all the closest they had to a super star in the Wizarding world. Especially with Lockhart out of the picture, though no one really knew what the hell had happened to him yet, the fact was she would bet Harry had something to do with it though. He just had that knack for turning up in the wrong place at the right time. Just when he was really needed.

Like now, she had been thinking about him all day. Being interrupted had done nothing for her sanity; she needed to find some way of releasing her pent up and rampant lust for the green-eyed person.

"Ready to go?" he virtually whispered to her.

She nodded, looking him over unabashedly. He took her into his arms and pulled out a smooth looking stone with some runes etched into the surface. She was about to ask what the hell it was when suddenly her view shifted. She found herself standing in a very comfortable looking living room tastefully decorated in the Slytherin colours, which made her shiver slightly. The Slytherin's were not widely thought of, for obvious reasons. Her house and theirs were particularly opposed to each other.

"It's okay, this isn't the Slytherin common room, which is what I wondered about when I first saw it." Harry said in a normal voice. Letting her go, much to her disappointment, "Take a seat, I just have to do a few things I forgot to do the other night," he said, taking out his wand.

She sat down, crossing one leg over the other and watched him move around the room. His wand swishing and flicking around as he did so, she admired the way he moved now, training had paid off and he moved like a predator on the prowl. Each movement precise and controlled, exact placement of his feet to make sure he was perfectly balanced from just about any angle. Though she did not realize that, she just admired the way he moved.

"There" he said after a few minutes. "We're a long way off the beaten track, but so we can talk without fear I've silenced the entire area."

"Talk?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Or whatever you desire" Harry said with a charming smile.

She patted the seat beside her. "Come and take a seat Harry."

He did so, quite close to her, which just screwed up her thought processes even further. She twisted round to face him, a slight smile on her face. She gave herself a wave, "Not exactly sexy gear is it?" she said.

"On you it is."

"There you go flattering me again. Why Mr. Potter anyone would think you wanted something."

"Anything you want to give Me." he replied.

"Let's start with a kiss and go from there," she said with a smile, "You are sure that we're not going to be interrupted again?"

"Only a Parselmouth can get into this room without my transport stone. We all know I'm the only one of those around," he said.

"What if someone get's the stone?" she wondered aloud.

"It'll make them a nice paper weight I suppose. It's keyed to my magical signature."

"Clever" she said, moving closer to him, her hand resting on his thigh. Something he felt very clearly, her hand was very hot there. She licked her lips, her eyes lidded and she pouted slightly.

Harry moved closer himself, cupped her cheek, and pulled her in for a scorching kiss.

Lavender groaned as she felt his tongue duelling with hers, and moved around for a better angle, ending up half on his lap. Her leg found its way over his thighs and by time the kiss had been going on a few seconds, she was wriggling around a fair bit.

They broke off for a second, their gazes locked. She shrugged off her outer robe, leaving her in her school shirt and tie. The tie was gone next and her hands went into his hair. Moving to straddle his lap, she kissed him hungrily. Wants and needs rampaging through her body like pure molten lust.

She had kissed her fair share of guys, perhaps even more than her fair share. This was something else though, it was like pure need all wrapped up in a single guy.

When his hands finally made contact with the skin of her thigh she felt a rush go through her and the next thing she knew she was without her top or bra and Harry's mouth was on her nipple. Which just blew her mind, his wonderful hands were gently teasing the other breast and she was in pure heaven.

She moaned, sighed, and generally made quite a lot of noise, encouraging him to keep on going and make her night one to remember. Then her hands were roving everywhere she could reach and he was making it plain he was enjoying himself.

Soon his coat was flung off to one side, and his shirt was unbuttoned totally. Her hands ran along his pectorals and the six-pack she was sure it was illegal to have as a wizard. Her hand then ran down a little further and he jerked.

They broke their kiss, panting. "Am I making it hard for you again?" she purred in a sexy drawl.

"Oh god yes" he breathed.

She studied him for a long moment, making him slightly uncomfortable.

"What?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Can I see it?" she asked, biting her lip afterwards. Slightly shocked at her own words, but she really wanted this.

Harry blushed, "What..." he said and nodded sharply down, his meaning clear.

She nodded her eyes wide with lust. He looked down at her half naked form; her breasts tipped with hard pale brown nipples and felt himself get even harder. She was quite erotic to him right then, but then that was of no real surprise. This was a step, quite a big step. He was quite a private person by nature, and as young men often were, was afraid of ridicule. Then again, he had a half-naked gorgeous girl with curves to die for asking to see him. It was only fair he showed her something after all.

She misread his hesitation, and decided he could do with a bit of a push. Smirking girlishly she said, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Harry's eyes bugged slightly. 'Holy shit!' This was every young guys dream, seeing a naked girl. Alternatively, parts of naked girls were pretty much a full time goal for guys his age. Just legal and wanting to practice the age old craft. He found his head nodding almost totally of its own volition. Lavender was giving him so many good memories she was going to get her own damn room in his mental construct. If things went, as he was sure they were about to he would have to put up a memory of the event on the door. Labelling it 'YES!' Of course, there was always the risk he could do the ultimate in uncool and loose control of himself totally.

"You first" she breathed.

"Urm... How do you... want it?"

Now that was a leading question Lavender realized. "For now, let's just... hook it out shall we?" she said slowly.

Harry shifted position slightly and undid his belt and fly, pushing down his trousers slightly.

"Boxers again Harry" she teased, and then let out a tiny growl as he hooked out his man hood. "Oh god" she breathed. "I did that?" she asked.

Harry nodded, blushing like a bride.

"Baby, you've got nothing to be embarrassed about, god..." she finished off with a low whistle. "Can I?" she asked nodding at his erect manhood.

"Urm- yeah sure" he said slowly and started chanting Arithmancy formula through his head.

Lavender slowly reached out, and ran a finger down its length. Eye's widening as it jerked to her touch. She licked her lips, and curled her hand around it.

"Oh god" Harry ground out because her touch was like fire.

"So hard and soft like a steel bar in velvet" she whispered. Okay so this was the first time seeing an actual cock first hand but she was sure they were not usually that large. Her hand moved up and down for a few long soft strokes causing Harry to whimper in a way she thought quite cute.

"Lav..." he warned.

"What's wrong Harry?" she wanted to know, her hand still moving and her eyes entranced.

"We're going to have an accident if you keep doing- that!"

"Really... You like me that much?" she asked breathlessly.

"Just looking at you makes it hard to think, and when you're like... that. I have to try to distract myself sometimes. I'm no expert at this stuff and sometimes it ... gets to me more than perhaps it should." he admitted, finding that talking was actually helping, though the sensations from her hand on him were still amazing he wasn't quite to afraid of loosing it.

"I never really imagined it would be so hard" she said, and then blushed, "I mean difficult to maintain control. I mean girls get turned on, but we don't- loose control that often. To be honest it usually takes me a while to bring myself off.," she said causing Harry to groan. As pleasant as that image was, he did not need it in his head while he was struggling to control himself.

"I suppose it's my turn," she said stopping.

"You ... don't have to. I'm not about to make you do anything you don't want to." he told her.

She smiled, leaned forward and kissed his shaft. It jerked against her face and Harry held on by sheer will power. "If one kiss does that..." she said with a saucy smile, "We'll have to find out what other things we can do to make you loose control," she added with a husky purr.

Then she stood up and looked down at him, unbuttoning her waistband, she let her skirt slide down her toned legs leaving her only in a pair of panties, and a smile. "Ready?" she asked.

Harry nodded, his eyes glued to her. She hooked her thumbs in her waistband and bent over, taking her knickers down as she did. Then she stood up.

Harry sucked in a hard breath. "Oh... fucking hell," he breathed.

"You like?" she asked.

Harry nodded mutely, his cock now harder than ever.

"Wow, I think you just managed to get bigger," she breathed.

"You are so beautiful," he told her reverently.

She smiled at him and took a step closer. Then led back down beside him, the couch was just big enough for them to lie side by side. "Would you like to touch me Harry?" she asked.

Harry gulped and nodded.

"You appear to have lost the use of your voice," she said with a sexy chuckle, "I'm taking that as a good sign."

Harry's hand lay on her flat stomach.

"Go on Harry, I want this too. Don't be afraid I'm going to up and slap you or something."

His hand slowly slid further down, her eyes fluttered closed. "Oh god those hands." she said in a low voice. Her legs parted in preparation, one going down to prop herself on the floor, leaving Harry plenty of room to explore.

His hand ran down her soft public hair that proved she was a natural blond. His fingers then just fluttering at her pussy, she took in a sharp breath as sparks of pleasure just flew through her in a rush. Harry moved his hand around so he was approaching from below and rubbed his palm flat against her.

"Oh fuck yes," she breathed. "So, very much better than touching myself." she purred.

Harry was half expecting to wake up any minute, but carried on regardless. He felt her moistness for the first time, the heat she generated as she positively purred. "Oh Merlin yes Harry more." she pleaded.

Harry was not too sure, what he was supposed to do. His middle finger slid between her lips and she gasped. He jerked back.

"No... No... Don't stop, please," she begged.

Happy that he had not done wrong after all, he put his hand back where it had been, finger-curling round to her moist inner lips. She groaned out a sigh that went straight to his libido. He rubbed his finger up and down a few times, his other fingers splaying her outer lips slightly. He jerked when he suddenly felt her grab his cock in a firm grip.

"Oh god" he breathed as she moved her hand up and down with a lot less care than before.

Harry then slowly, and watching her carefully, pushed his finger in to her. She let out a little yelp, "Yes, oh Morgana yes." she said. Therefore, Harry moved his finger in and out a few times, and she reciprocated matching movement for movement. His thumb brushed against a small nub of flesh just above her entrance and she jerked and let out a cry.

It was obvious from her face though he had not hurt her or something. He continued to move his finger, and then almost experimentally added another.

"FUCK YES" she shouted, her hips moving in time to his movements, her grip now hard on his shaft, but the angle was such that he enjoyed the sensation without fear of loosing it. It felt bloody good though. Her head was thrashing from side to side and he pumped his hand back and forth. "More" she asked, "Faster" she begged. "Harder" she pleaded.

So Harry did as he was asked, her nipples he noted were standing proud on her chest and darker than ever, sweat glistening between her breasts. Her breathing was ragged as hell and her eyelids were fluttering wildly. He flicked his thumb over that fleshy stub again and she suddenly screamed. He looked at her somewhat alarmed as her entire body tensed, her back arching and pushing her breasts upwards invitingly. "Fuck, fuck, and fuck" she panted in a sort of mantra. "FUUUUUCCCCKKKK" she finally sighed going limp.

"Urh... You okay Lav?" he asked in worry.

She chuckled throatily, "Oh baby I've never been better. I've never come so hard."

"Urh..."

"You brought me off Harry, HARD. I didn't realize it could happen so fast, what ever you did down there REALLY worked for me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank You!"

"Urm... You're welcome," he said lamely.

She chuckled again, "Ohh boy." she breathed in a long sigh. "I owe you for that Harry, big time!"

"Honestly I'm not even sure what I did." Harry admitted slightly embarrassed.

Lavender laughed gaily. "Think you can do it again sometime?" she asked curiously.

"I think so.," he said slowly.

"Thank god for that," she said happily. "Wow, I feel mellow," she admitted. "Phew" she added, pushing herself up on her elbows and giving him a satisfied and sexy smile. "But poor Harry, all hard and no release." she pouted.

"I guess I can deal with that myself later," he said slowly.

She smiled at him again; "Why when you've got me to do it for you," she said rolling off the couch and kneeling beside it. "Lay down Harry" she ordered him.

He did as asked, and she pulled his trousers and Boxers all the way down to his feet.

"I do so love the way you're standing to attention for me Harry," she purred. Reaching out and taking him in a firm grip. "Now I've never done this before so you need to tell me if I'm doing it right okay?"

Harry nodded, his heart going a mile a dozen.

He thought she was going to give him a hand job, but was surprised when she lent right forward and licked his cock. "I read about this in one of my mums' lady magazines. A Muggle thing she likes. It was called how to please your man with Oral." she told him and licked him again.

Harry's eyes rolled up into the back of his head as she sucked him into her mouth noisily. His head dropping back as she did so. 'This is the best day ever' he decided. 'God that feels amazing' he added and that was about all he could think. Other than, he was not going to last long. Especially since she had just started using her hand too and that was getting a bit much.

"Any good?" she asked.

Harry made a grunting noise that she took to mean, 'Great thanks Lavender'. Her hand was now moving a bit faster, her mouth working around his shaft.

"Oh god Lav..." he managed to grind out. She backed away but kept up the movement of her hand.

Harry growled and the world went white for a minute.

He was not conscious of anything until he heard "Scourgify" from Lavender and a wash of magic.

He looked up at her, "Wow" he said with a smile.

"Apparently there are loads more you can do with that, we'll have to give them a go at some point," she said with a big grin. "For now, we should get dressed again and you can take me back to the tower. It's got to be getting late."

Harry just nodded, trying to get his brain restarted.

-oOo-

"Welcome to Defence against the Dark Arts." Severus Snape said for the first time, looking out onto his 6th year class and conversely the first class using his new assistant.

It somewhat galled him that he was the only teacher with an assistant but Dumbledore was right as always. If he wanted legitimacy as a DADA teacher, he needed Potter. It really galled him to admit that, but thanks to the prats organizational efforts last year they had a usual amount of O's for defence but only for those that were part of his little club. The lad had, as much as admitted that he was not the only one involved. Granger had done the research and Weasley had done the organizing. However, it had been Potter that did the actual teaching and the students had lapped it up. Learning more from their peer than they had in all the years before combined

Severus was sure he could put pay to that bad run of DADA instruction. He was proud of his knowledge of his chosen classes. He was a Potions Master and they did not exactly just give those out with Chocolate Frogs. He had first hand knowledge of the dark, and was still seeped in it to a large degree. He had fought on both sides of the line and knew his subject inside and out.

The prats Dumbledore had hired before him had been unmitigated disasters every one, except possibly Lupin. Though he was off so often it was hard to tell.

Then there was Potter himself of course. Had fought Voldemort in various guises more than anyone alive, and he was still around to annoy Snape. He had a good knowledge of spells both defensive and offensive, though Snape was curious to know really how good he was.

This led him to his current idea.

"Potter!" he snapped in his usual fashion.

"Hmmm, Yes Sir" Harry said snapping back to there here and now quickly. He been reliving the night before on an almost constant loop since the event happened and it had put him in a rare mood.

"Assist me."

Harry nodded, got up from his place near the back of the class and walked to the front. This was after all what he had been hired to do. Assist the DADA teacher, though he rather wished it was not Snape. However, they seemed to have reached a sort of an accord for the moment

"Right, to begin the year six class I have placed a test on each of your desks. I want this filled in within the next 10 minutes or I will take points," the Professor said.

"Sir?" Harry said quietly to his professor.

"Just how good are you Potter?"

"Please, call me Harry sir. After all we are supposed to be working together now."

Snape's dark eyes glittered at him for a long moment before he nodded, "Please answer the question."

"I'm passing fair." Harry said with a shrug.

"Can you hold against an adult wizard?" Snape wanted to know.

"Depends on the wizard, most for sure, perhaps not against someone like Professor Flitwick though."

Snape had to agree, the little bugger was a demon on the duelling circuits in his day. However, in a proper fight Snape thought he could possibly take him. "What about me, can you last against me, at least for a while."

"I've never seen you fight, other than that debacle with Lockhart." Harry said with a smile.

Snapes lips twitched, it had been fun putting the peacock on his arse. "Your modesty is annoying" he commented.

"Can I ask why you are asking?"

"I want us to have a mock battle, not duel. Let the bra... students see what it is really like. You are the only student that has seen enough real combat to be of any use."

Harry opened his mouth, but Snape waived him off, "I know some of your DA have seen combat but for Christ's sake Potter you've duelled the Dark Lord Himself."

"In that case I suggest we create a suitable location using the Room Of Requirement, sir."

Having never seen the place himself he was not sure of it's abilities but it was worth a shot. "Good idea. Take me there and we'll see what we can do."

-oOo-

Ten minutes later Professor Snape walked back into the Classroom with Harry in tow. "Quills down" he snapped, "That means you Parkinson!" he added sharply as he walked to the end of the room.

Once everyone had put down their writing implements, he fixed them each with a steady gaze. "We've got a treat for you today. A mock battle between myself and my assistant professor"

Everyone looked around curiously totally bypassing Harry who stood at the back of the class. He was leaning casually against the wall and smirking like crazy.

"Dolts" Snape said under breath. "Harry, please lead your clueless class mates to our venue."

"Right you are Professor" Harry said, "Just follow me. Some of you already know where we're going," he said cheerfully.

Hermione caught up with him on one side as Ron did the other. "You're the New Assistant Professor?" she asked.

"He is?" Ron said surprised.

"That's what I'm trying to find out Ron!" she shot back.

"I am" Harry said, "Would've told you sooner but I've been kind of busy lately."

At the back of the procession Malfoy was smirking to his fellow Slytherin's, "I'm looking forward to this. I've been dying to see Potter put in his place."

"Are you so sure he will be?" Tracey Davis asked, looking at the man in question with a slight smile on her face.

"Of course he will. I nearly took him in the duelling club, when Professor Snape is finished with him there won't be much left I'd imagine."

"Oh Draco, you're so brave going against him" Pansy said.

Tracey rolled her eyes and smirked to her cohort Daphne Greengrass. "I'm still surprised he asked you out," she said to her friend.

She growled softly, "When I find out who did that prank I'll rip it off them."

"Oh come on Daph, you're not that stupid, you know who did the prank." Tracey replied softly.

"I do?" she replied.

"Who else has the power and sheer brass balls to carry it out? Who else do you know that can get around the school without getting caught?" she asked.

Daphne's ice blue eyes flashed in ire. "I'll kill him... only he got caught up in it too. In fact only Draco wasn't."

"Only Pansy is interested in seeing that." Tracey pointed out, "Besides what better cover for him, he certainly hasn't got anything to be embarrassed about. Not many Wizards are built like that," she said with a smirk.

"I'll kill him." she said, "I've not been able to walk 10 feet without someone asking me out, or worse. Everyone from year 5 up has been doing it. Shit even some of the fourth years have been getting in on the act. Just because I wear- interesting underwear, I mean I find it comfortable, and I can't wear it anymore because people keep trying to see up my bloody skirt!"

Tracey laughed, and tuned back into Draco's rumblings.

"He's useless really, only a good seeker because of that Firebolt."

"Didn't he beat you on a broom a year older than yours at some point?" Pansy asked carelessly.

"Shut up Pansy." Draco snarled.

"Here we are." Harry said approaching a large doorway, he opened it up, "Just head left when you get inside," he said stepping back to let everyone in. He nodded to Professor Snape who was following up the rear.

"Draco seems to think you're going to be mincemeat afterwards," he said with a thin smile. "Do try to prove him wrong."

"Yes sir" Harry said with a smirk.

Once inside the students veered off to one side of the huge area and were automatically taking seats in the bleachers provided.

"There's a shield in front of the viewing area" Harry informed them, "So no stray spells hit you." he finished.

With that he threw off his robe and passed it to Hermione, "Hold that for me please 'Mione" he said with a charming smile and promptly rolled up his sleeves, showing that he was wearing an Auror standard wand holder. As he did that Snape was removing his outer robe too and tossed it at Parkinson without even checking to see if she caught it.

"This is a simulated battle ground; it isn't a clean duelling platform or pit. It is full of clutter and weapons that can and will be used against you by an enemy. There are no rules, other than no unforgivable's" Severus said his voice low but heard by all.

"Shame" Draco muttered.

"Imagine if you will that the two of us have been separated from the main battle. Tired alone and desperate we run across each other. We know then that we have to fight, one must be standing at the end of the battle alone and triumphant." Harry said, taking up his place on one side of the battlefield. Snape moving the other side.

There was no warning. Snape just hurled a curse silently at Harry. Harry dived out of the way and when he rolled onto his feet, his wand was in his hand. He held it upwards and any movement ended with it pointing at Snape.

He fired off a return curse. A bright bolt of red light that seared across the eye

Snape blinked and dived out of his way. That was one hell of a stunner and silently cast too. They had only started to teach that to this year and they were only a few days in. He moved low to the ground and found cover.

Harry watched him, standing proud.

Snape shook his head; he still had a lot to learn apparently. Snape dived out of his cover sending a volley of Curses, Hexes and Jinxes at Harry.

He watched dumbly as Harry turned to present a low profile and flicked the spells away with small movements of his wand. Finally a small personal shield appearing to block the last spell and fading quickly afterwards

Then Snape was thrown sideways as something big and hard smacked into him with the force of a truck. Though he was quickly aware that Harry was holding back, the large bolder he had just tossed at him kept on moving past Snapes position and had not been moving very fast. Then the ground at the professors' feet turned to sludge and fire leapt up all around him.

He somersaulted backwards, just missing the ring of fire that appeared. He landed the other side and used Harry's own attack as cover for a volley of spells aimed behind his foe. 'Damn,' he thought, 'I'm actually enjoying myself.'

Harry dropped flat as the spells went over his head and quickly scrabbled off to the side. Coming up behind another large stone, he darted a look around the side but could not see his professor because of his own fire. He tapped his head with his wand and faded from sight with the familiar feeling of an egg being cracked over his head.

"See the coward is hiding." Draco said to Pansy who apparently had been forgiven her slight.

"I thought he was going to squash Professor Snape with that rock." Pansy said.

"He's holding back" Blaise put in with a lazy drawl, "If this fight were real he'd have put the rock down on our good Professor's head."

"He moves fast I'll give him that." Daphne said breathlessly. Her earlier anger forgotten for the moment, she was just admiring the fight.

Snape looked around warily, no sign of Harry that was not a good thing. He shot off a few curses in the general direction that Harry had been, hoping for a lucky hit. Was this what it was like to face the famous Harry Potter? His heart was hammering in his chest and his hair was in disarray. The little bugger sure seemed to have some tricks up his sleeve. Literally, in one case, where the hell had he gotten that Wand Holster? They were for Aurors only. Then he realized it was probably from Tonks, the Metamorph had a serious soft spot for Harry

Now if he could only find the little sod. Next to him, a small rock suddenly exploded, sending shards of rock everywhere and forcing Snape into the open. Several cuts on his face were bleeding freely as he looked around.

Harry appeared the other side of the Battlefield from him, saluting him with his wand lazily. His profile small as he was sideways on to him

Okay, Snape knew when he was hopelessly outclassed. He raised his wand and just went for it sending a series of curses at Harry. Who just batted most of them away. Then ... 'What the hell?' Harry was flying backwards to hit a rock hard. 'The Little BASTARD' Snape thought somewhat ticked. He had damn well let that last curse through.

Snape stalked forward and loomed over Harry, lowering his voice so it would not be heard he said, "What was that?"

"Do you really want the entire class and your house to see me beat you sir?" Harry asked in an equally low tone.

Snape was actually quite stunned. Before he would have called him arrogant, but there was no doubt in Snapes mind, he was being played with before. That first rock alone would have killed him if Harry had wanted it to. He had also had plenty of other opportunities as well. The little shit was not even sweating where as he was soaked and breathing hard. Yet, at the same time, he was right. He could not face his Slytherin's if Harry beat him. He would loose credibility as a teacher too if he lost in front of the entire class.

Where as Harry also stood to loose out by being beaten by him of all people, yet he was willing to take the hit, Snape had to admit to being impressed, very impressed.

"Enervate" Snape said making like Harry had been out cold; his wand did not as much as move though.

He turned to face his class, the Slytherin's were cheering for the most part. However, there were notable dissenters. Apparently, Harry was getting himself a support base in the one house that one would not think for a moment he would. Davis and Greengrass being the main surprises, though Blaise was looking intrigued. This was a surprising expression for the boy. The Griffs were not looking pleased though. But Surprise, Surprise! Hermione Granger was just looking thoughtful and suspicious. Weasley looked like someone had just killed his pet Kneazle. This almost made Severus smile.

"Anything is a weapon! Any advantage can become a disadvantage. Cover should be used. Do not just stand in one place and throw spells at each other. Do anything you can to keep the other moving and not thinking. Never, Ever, Let your guard down," he said, turning to give Harry a sardonic smile. "Hiding..." he went on to say, "...Is not cowardly, it is a survival trait in some circumstances," he said looking at Draco. Who blanched, sometimes his godson really disappointed him he really did.

"Two feet on possible combat tactics and scenarios in which they can be applicable. Harry if you would? Dismissed"

Harry nodded and waited as the rest of the class left. Then once they were out of sight he got easily to his feet and pulled out his wand, "Come here sir," he said firmly.

Snape frowned but did as he was asked.

A wave later and his face did not feel tight anymore. Harry suddenly winced, "Sorry about the arm, I think it's sprained."

"That was a masterful move. I have to ask though Harry. What the hell do you think you are trying to achieve?"

"You're the Professor, Professor. Not me. The students need to be able to believe in you and trust that you know what you are talking about. If I was another actual teacher then I would've thrashed you." He said with a smirk, "But I'm 16 and a student. True I know how to fight better than anyone in the school does, possibly. I know it and you know it. It doesn't matter to me what people think of me anymore. Your reputation is important and part of your standing as a teacher. I'm just a kid with a mean wand hand," he added laughing at the end.

"More than mean, you could've taken me at any moment." Snape grudgingly admitted.

Harry shrugged, "I've recently got very serious about my training."

"I can tell. That wasn't all from the DA was it?"

Harry shook his head.

"One thing I will say to you though Potter, move around more. Don't just stand there like a first year and throw spells like you're in a formal duel!"

"I wouldn't normally sir." Harry said. "If it was required"

Snape grimaced, "Was I really not any challenge at all?" he asked wryly. Re-evaluating Harry sharply upwards

Harry just smiled.

"Be gone, I'll mark the tests this time, but I will expect some help next."

"Yes sir." Harry said and started to leave.

"Oh... Harry? When is the first DA session?"

"This weekend, want to check it out?"

Snape nodded.

"You'd be most welcome sir. We'll be in here."

Snape nodded again.

-oOo-

"Silent casting, totally automatic and some of the fastest wand work I've ever seen." Snape said pacing back and forth in front of the headmaster. "When the hell did you teach him silent casting? You could've told me, it was a bit of a bloody shock!"

"Severus... Severus. I have never taught Harry how to cast silently." Dumbledore said thinking hard.

"What?"

"I was in fact totally unaware that he was able to cast thus. Though he has shown a remarkable aptitude of late to the inner workings of spellmenship, I can only assume that he has taught himself."

"That's possible I suppose. Though at one point he used a dueller's shield I've not seen in years." Snape went on to say. "It was the perfect amplitude to take out the spell too. Not deflect mind, but nullify."

"Intriguing"

"It's a bit more than that Albus. Then finally, I realize I have had it and start to shoot some of my best spells at him. Which he just bats to the side with tiny flicks of his wand, then would you believe it? He LETS, LETS mind, a fairly harmless bludgeoning spell through and let's it send him flying to end the fight in my favour so I don't loose face."

"Absolutely marvellous" Dumbledore beamed.

"I'm starting to see why you think he's so bloody special now." Snape grumped. "His father would never have done that. Especially for me"

"Harry is not his father and never has been."

"Oh did I tell you he nearly squashed me with a bolder! Just how strong is he magically anyway?"

"Measure him Severus. I have no idea. Moderately powerful at the very least I would say."

"Moderately my arse" Snape complained. "For the first part of my mock battle I was being played with like a child with a bug. He wasn't even trying and didn't break a damn sweat."

Albus smirked under the cover of his beard.

"I know you're smirking" Snape pointed out.

"Perhaps now you can see why I put him down as your assistant?" Dumbledore asked, "Though Filius has been asking for his help too due to his remarkable charms work of late. He's sure he could actually surpass his mother."

"That would take some doing." Snape said almost fondly.

"Have you seen his CD charm in action?" Albus said fishing around in his robes for the pin and disk.

"My... is that the time... I've got the forth years in a minute, must be going!" Snape suddenly said.

Dumbledore watched him go, smirked. Placed the pin hovering over his desk, silenced the room and sat back to listen to some Stones. For some reason the staff were of the opinion his musical tastes were stunted... just because he enjoyed the school song so much. What he really enjoyed about that was seeing what people would come up with as a tune. Sometimes he missed the Weasley twins. They were always so inventive in their choices. As well as their pranks, though it looked like someone had stepped into their shoes of late.

Pictures of hundreds of headmasters cringed in their frames as Mick Jagger started to wail.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Two Weeks Later

Narcissa Malfoy, or now more correctly Black, was not having a good day. In fact, it had been quite a while since she had finished a day that could be called good. Not since school possibly. Even then, people had expected things from her, for her to act a certain way. She and her brother were not very different really except for one small thing. He had more courage. She had wanted to get away from the darkness of the House of Black herself, but lacked the fortitude to actually do anything about it. Of course, there had been highlights since then. For a while, her husband had treated her very well. It had not lasted long though, before he reverted to type. Especially once, he got himself deeply involved with the Dark Lord. Her son that had briefly been quite a bright spot. Until the little shit had become a clone of his father. She had been optimistic for him. He had once been such an empathic, loving child.

That had quickly gone down hill once his father had gotten his claws into him. How could any child be aloud to grow up, as they should when they had a Dark Lord as an uncle and Death Eaters as family friends? His godfather was possibly a redeeming feature there; he had gotten the boy interested in potions. So even if he followed in his fathers footsteps and actually joined the movement there was hope he would move into potions, A somewhat less dangerous and murderous occupation. It was not much, but it was something at least. The only trouble with said godfather was that he, whilst being honourable in his own way, was not the nicest person in the world. This could have been one of the reasons that Lucius had picked him in the first place. For god sakes, Draco's godmother was none other than Bellatrix LeStrange. Narcissa loved her sister dearly for the fun loving younger woman she had been, all that too had changed though, once she married Rudolphus's LeStrange or actually a little before, she had become as warped and twisted as her husband to be.

Damn Wizarding Marriage Contracts and their warped view on femininity and their place in the world. They were ancient and out dated, and most of the time cruel. The idea was to make sure the bride, of pure blood of course, would be compatible with their new groom no matter their own personality. It changed people, and that was one of the reasons that it was so little used these days. However, of course her crone of a mother had just HAD to make a contract with the damn LeStrange's a pure blood family almost as bad as their own. In that, at least, Narcissa had been lucky. No contract bound her to Lucius. This is one of the reasons that she, thanks to her brother, had finally been able to escape the blonde bastards grasp.

She had been happy to sign the contract to say she was not a Death Eater, and dissolve her partnership with Malfoy. To become once again a Black, the one good thing their supposed Patriarch had done with his powers, as far as she was concerned. The money was nice of course, but she had been steadily siphoning off her allowance and some 'house keeping' money from a year after she had been married. Her plans at the time were put off for her son, who she did indeed love, like was a different matter. She had planned to escape to some place over seas. Perhaps America, the supposed land of opportunity. Then had come her son, so of course, she put off her plans, then once he became as abusive as his father, physically and mentally, she had re-laid her plans. She was still a few years off when Sirius had laid down his masterstroke.

It had made trouble for her though. A whole lot of trouble.

The Death Eaters were after her, had been since she had signed the damn contract almost. How they had found out so quickly was worrying. They must have spies in Gringotts, of all places! Still, there was nothing she could do about that now. She had been given one of their new Cards thankfully. Therefore, she did not have to keep nipping back to a bank every time she needed money. That had helped her stay under the radar a bit. It would be easier if she could disappear into the Muggle world. Nevertheless, what does a pure bred, pureblooded witch know of such things. That was simple to answer, absolutely nothing. Her muggle studies at school had been a joke, just as they still were from what she knew.

Therefore, she had fled to Prague, a city she knew quite well form holidays with the family and such. Yet they had followed her easily enough. Probably from her booking at the International Portkey Authority, which was a risk she had been forced to take. Not many wizards/withes had the power to cross the Channel via the usual fashion that they liked to travel. She knew the old fool at Hogwarts could. She COULD have asked him for help she supposed. However, knowing him, he would have put her to work in that supposedly secret Order of his.

It was not as if she did not already, have a job anyway. Not that she had met her knew Patriarch, or employer yet. Other than a brief sighting at the platform, or that once at the World Cup. Seemed like a nice enough boy, unless you listened to her son go on about him and his friends. The red headed Weasley and the Mudblood Granger. Not that she personally liked the term. After all, logically there were no true pure bloods left. It was expected of her to act a certain way though, or had been.

Sometimes the running was worth the freedom she now had. However, she would not really be free until she had somewhere safe to go.

The beautiful blonde woman darted a look behind her. It was quiet here, too quiet in fact. She was SURE someone was behind her.

She moved a little faster, turned around and that was that. Pain and then blackness.

Rudolphus LeStrange looked down at the women he had felled physically and smiled nastily.

Another crony rounded the corner behind him. "Is that her?" they asked.

Rudolphus rolled his eyes, "What do you think moron?"

"I think you like hitting people LeStrange. It could be just about anyone," the man said in a thick accent. He was a local, and thus did not really know who the hell he was looking for.

"This is the one. Lucius will be SO happy to see her."

"Once you break the bastard out of prison you mean?"

Rudolphus shrugged, "If she survives that long.," he said.

The other looked at him for a long moment, "Our Lord wanted her."

"He didn't specify her condition upon arrival." LeStrange shot back, smiling that slightly insane grin again.

"You're a mad dog LeStrange. Someone should put you out of your misery."

LeStrange cocked an eyebrow, "Fancy a go?" he asked, laughing.

The other shook his head, "Tis not my place. We all have our ends and I know yours will be forth coming. I did not come with you to kill though. I won't allow it!"

"Allow it?" LeStrange asked strangely. Then the tension floated out of his shoulders, "Whatever, I'm hungry. Get the bitch and we'll go get something to eat."

-oOo-

"This is not normally something we would even touch on." McGonagall said in her usual fashion as she addressed her mixed class. Slytherin's and her own Gryffindors. Some good students in both houses and she kept herself strict with her praise and scorn for the various students. It was hard sometimes to remain neutral though. Especially with snakes like Draco Malfoy lording it around, she hated arrogance in people, in her many years she had seen plenty of it. This time though it was as if it leaked from every pore of the boy's body, in truth he was in fact worse than his father had been, and that was saying something. "The Headmaster says, and I do tend to agree, that it would be useful in these times of war for you each to have a way to escape."

Her class looked at her expectantly, all except possibly her favourite student. If she allowed herself such things, Hermione Granger, she knew where this was going and was virtually bouncing in place to contain the knowledge. Logical deduction was a rare thing in a wizard or witch and McGonagall was quite happy to nurture that in Hermione's teachings.

"So... In this class... what do you think we could teach you to help you escape a potentially hostile situation?" she asked generally, but her eyes were on Hermione.

Of course, her hand shot up. Possibly, it was wrong to give her so many excuses to shine, but nurturing was a difficult balance. It did also allow her to, in some small ways; win back points for her house, "Hermione?"

"The first that comes to mind is Animagus Transformation Professor," she said.

Minerva allowed a small smile, "Correct, 5 points Miss Granger." she cast her eyes over the class. Not real surprises to reactions, bar one. Harry was looking a little worried. Of all the people in the class, she had expected some excitement from him. As she watched though he contained whatever was worrying him, looked thoughtful and then suddenly relaxed.

The young man, as he now was, was becoming slightly confusing. His scores had shot up of late, his intelligence shining through. He did however; seem to know things he perhaps should not. There was also the way he held himself these days. Where once he was shy, reserved, and sometimes damn right broody, he now exuded pure confidence, bordering on arrogance perhaps. Yet, not there so far, she had seen the way his father had been and had worried that he was going to go through that phase too. For whatever sort of man James Potter had become, he was once an arrogant little sod with some occasionally cruel leanings. So far, to her relief, Harry was not showing those leanings. He was generally kind and generous. It was a new attitude then that made his mere presence seems to fill the room. She was not sure the basis for his new confidence but he certainly wore it well.

"Mr. Potter, can you tell me anything about Animagus transformation?"

Harry looked at her, intense green eyes spearing her to the spot for a moment. "It's an advanced form of self transfiguration. One that uses a ... animal spirit that is supposedly within most Wizards to choose the form of the final transformation."

"That is correct, apart from one thing. All wizards have a form. Though many cannot use it to change, can anyone tell me anything else germane to Animagus?" she asked.

Hermione, predictably already had her hand up. Professor McGonagall passed her over this time. Balance time. "Yes Miss Brown?"

Hermione turned a surprised look to Lavender. She rarely said anything in class unless challenged to do so. Except of course Divination or Astronomy "Animagus have to register with the Ministry", she said, blushing slightly.

"That is correct, five points." McGonagall said with a nod, "So anyone here that is successful will have to register their form, markings and species with the ministry. It costs five galleons to register and is a simple form to fill in. I have some available if such should become required. Now, what we need to do first is find your forms."

The class shifted with interest. Again, all except Harry who was looking pensive again, McGonagall filed this information away and then waived her wand. On each desk a mound of pure white clay appeared, dead centre and soundlessly. She was rather proud of that particular summoning spell. She could not just transfigure or conjure this substance though; it was rare and expensive and could not be reproduced with magic.

"This is Gongari Clay. I don't suppose anyone knows anything about this substance?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.

She got one though, from a fairly surprising source.

"It's farmed in Australia; it's the only known source for the clay. You cannot conjure it, or otherwise create it with magic or potions. Its qualities are such that any attempt will likely blow up in your face... literally. Used in conjunction with the Animagus Revello spell it will shift into the form of the casters animal form." Harry said in a faintly bored tone of voice. Though his eyes were fixed on the clay like it was about to attack him.

"Correct, 10 points Mr. Potter. Wherever did you learn that?" McGonagall said in surprise, "It isn't a widely known substance?"

Harry shrugged, "Must've read about it somewhere." The truth was that Snape was still trying to make the stuff and had, indeed, had it blow up in his face. He was not about to tell the deputy head that he had mind dumped a member of staff though.

McGonagall gave him a stern, but curious look. "Well, Mr. Potter has supplied us with the spell. The movements are thus" she said, moving her wand around in a slow fashion, then tapping it on her own blob of clay, "Animagus Revello" she enunciated carefully. Which sparkled, melted and then rose up in the form of a tabby cat, complete with markings and color. It was remarkably life like, it almost looked like it was about to leap off the desk.

"Cor" Ron said, "That's COOL"

McGonagall looked at him strangely.

Harry sniggered, "Means it's really good." he explained.

The class snickered slightly as Ron blushed to his roots.

Just then, a ghostly looking phoenix arrived in the room and hit the deputy in the head. She blinked and sighed. "Right I have to leave for a moment. I want you to practice the spell and then cast it on your clay. Then study your form closely until I get back. I will not be long. I do not want to hear about any trouble or there will be many points lost. Do I Make Myself Clear?"

The class all nodded, virtually at the same time. It was something you quickly learned at Hogwarts. There are two teachers you just do not cross. Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall were not to be messed about with.

She swept from the room and for a moment, all was silent.

"What do you think you'll be Weasley, a flobber worm?" Draco drawled nastily.

"Better that than a ferret" Ron shot back mildly.

There was a group snigger at that and Draco flushed.

"I'm sure Draco will be a dragon, or something equally as noble." Pansy put in snappishly.

Hermione laughed.

"Something you want to add Mudblood?" Draco snarled.

Ron tensed.

Harry touched his arm, calming him down. "It's just a word; it has no intrinsic reason on its own. Sure the intent behind it is petty and childish, but at the end of the day. It's all just words." Harry said, in full hearing of the entire class.

Hermione looked at him strangely for a moment, and then nodded. "You're right. As to why I was laughing Malfoy... There has not been a Dragon Animagus in a thousand years or more. Most wizards cannot become a magical creature. They simply don't have the extra power."

"Are you saying I'm not powerful enough?" Draco said, eyes flashing.

"That is precisely what I'm saying." Hermione returned mildly. "Don't be ashamed. I doubt anyone here can do it either. Myself included. It's not an insult, merely a statement of fact Mr. Malfoy."

'Uh oh,' Harry thought, 'Mione has got all formal. A sure sign of trouble'

"Mudblood." Draco spat.

Hermione lifted an eyebrow at him. "That ceases to worry me Malfoy. As Harry said, it is just a word and your intentions may be hostile. It is up to me if I take you up on them though. I think we both know that I would flatten you in a fair fight," she said, her own eyes flashing. Of course, on her it was quite attractive. Malfoy had unfortunate colouring, in that he was so blonde when he got angry he went a nasty shade of red. This clashed horribly with his hair, and eyes.

"You know you're gorgeous when you're angry." Harry said with a charming smile that made Hermione flush.

"Oh boy the flirting again." Ron said with a smile.

Luckily, Harry had pitched his voice so only the three of them could hear.

"Your day will come Mudblood, you and everyone like you." Draco snapped.

"As will yours." Harry replied, turning to look at the Slytherin intently. "If by some chance you should ever actually be able to lay a finger on Hermione. I will kill you where you stand. Ron will then proceed to beat the crap out of your cold, lifeless...body"

Ron smirked, "Can't we do it the other way around?" he said, missing the look that Draco was giving Harry. He looked... scared. That had been a death threat worthy of the Dark Lord himself. In fact, all the class were looking concerned at Harry's proclamation.

Harry chuckled, his usual humour returning, "That's true Ron. We'll do it that way around instead."

Hermione was looking steadily at her two male friends, her eyes indescribable as her mind clicked along. She had been touched, but at the same time annoyed. It was as if she could not look after herself sometimes with them. Especially with the way Ron acted. She had never expected such a coolly delivered response from Harry though. It was... thought provoking. For one thing, she was pretty sure he meant every word.

Lavender Brown looked between the three of them, wondering about the way their relationship was evolving. Sure, there was some jealousy there too. After all, currently Harry was hers. Not that anyone knew of course. She herself had also said it should remain casual. Still, she wondered if he would stand up for her as voraciously as he had for Hermione.

"I think we should get on," Neville said tremulously.

The class agreed and the spell was heard from all around as they practiced the movements and pronunciation of the words.

Hermione was the first to be happy with it. She cast her spell at the strange clay and it sparkled and began its transformation.

Ron was next and his clay too became a puddle on the desk.

Soon blobs of clay were forming into forms all across the classroom.

"You know" Harry said aloud, ripping off some of his clay. "This stuff isn't just used for finding out forms."

"What else is it used for then Harry?" Parvati asked. Her sister was not the only one with academic leanings.

Harry looked around and spotted some spare clay on McGonagall shelf. An in case of emergency type of thing he guessed.

"Artists" he said, getting up and walking to the shelf, "Use this for creating living statues."

"But McGonagall cat isn't living." Sarah/Tonks said. Truthfully, she was fascinated with this class, not in her time here had they tried to teach anyone the transformation. She was actually rather curious to find out if she could, considering her status after all.

"Isn't it?" Harry said with a sexy little smile. On the way back from his desk, he pulled out his wand and walked to the sculpture of the Feline. He pointed his wand. "She didn't cast the second spell," he said informatively. "Animo Statuarius." he intoned with a weird sort of wobbly movement of his wand.

The feline jerked, then more smoothly moved into a sitting position and looked at Harry with it's head tilted.

The class went "Wow" almost in sync. Apart from a few obvious abstains.

"The Artist would normally put in some spells for controlling what it can and can't do. Instructions and the like, some statues such as this are used to protect some of the old pure blood manors. Isn't that right Draco?"

Draco grudgingly said, "I've seen something like that I admit." he said slowly. He had not had an idea how they were made though. He was only interested in the end-product after all. "Quite a few pureblood families use them; they tend to guard the gates and grounds at night."

"10 points" Harry said, smiling.

Draco went red, "You can't do that!" he said angrily, "I'll take this up with the head master" he went on.

Harry rolled his eyes, "What are you going on about Draco?"

"You can' take points from me for that!"

"No Draco" Harry said cutting him off before he continued his rant, "I GAVE you ten points."

The blonds' jaw dropped and the class was in a general state of shock.

"I expect others of Pureblood and above all wealthy families have seen them around." Harry went on. "Dormus." he said with a flick of his wand. The statue froze.

"That was wicked." Lavender said. "How do you do it?"

Harry walked back to his chair and sat down. "The spells used are a type of mind magic. You form a strong visual image in your mind," he said slapping the clay down. He turned and looked at Parvati as she had asked first. "Of course it's all about how you SEE someone. And I'm no artist so I apologize now Parv." he said with a smirk. "If this goes wrong."

Of course, the thing Harry did have on his side was an amazing control over his mind. So pulling up an image and holding it firmly there, he wordlessly cast the spell. The clay turned into a puddle and then slowly formed upwards into a vague cylinder, which then morphed slowly into a figure. Color rushed into it and then there was a tiny Parv standing in her clubbing clothes. Looking like a million galleons.

"Not bad I suppose. It takes a lot more clay for a decent sculpture," he said, self criticizing.

Parv got out from behind her desk and got close to her sculpture. She turned to him with a strange look in her eye. "Is that how you see me?" she asked in a low tone.

"I did say it might go wrong. I certainly didn't mean to offend you." Harry said quickly, completely missing her true feelings.

She shook her head, "No... Harry it is... Beautiful ... Thank you, so much." then she smirked, "Do you often picture me in a mini skirt though?"

Harry chuckled, and said in a low tone that only she could hear, "It's a very good memory. Very...intense"

"I'm going to thank you for this properly at some point," she promised him with dilated pupils.

"Come on, let me see?" Lavender said. Then peered around her friends shoulder "Wow... Parv you look great."

The class all tramped over to get a look. The consensus was that it was amazing work, though most did not get the clothes she was wearing. Harry got a great deal of ribbing because of how much flesh the model was flashing. Rumours were bound to spread like wild fire soon, but Harry honestly did not care anymore. They would die down, eventually. He just hoped Parv could handle it.

"You still haven't done your form yet though?" Hermione said with a slightly frosty tone.

Harry shot her a curious look, "So what's yours?" he asked.

"Lioness." she replied simply.

There on followed a general swapping of forms to look at and there was some amusement that Ron's form was a Lion, to match Hermione's. Harry had to admit it was interesting to say the least. It had also diverted attention from the fact that he had yet to cast the spell himself. He was somewhat worried about doing so.

In the end, he faked his own form, sort of. He randomly thought of an animal and without lowering his shields, he cast the real spell, leaving only the one image for the spell to latch onto.

Strangely enough a stag did NOT form. Somehow, the spell messed up or something. He too had a feline form apparently. He was somewhat disappointed; since it wasn't the form he was thinking of did this mean he could not be a dragon? But then, it was apparently that most did not have the power for two forms.

He looked at the sleek looking Jaguar in some confusion.

"So" said a surprising voice.

Harry turned towards Blaise Zabini with a mild expression. "Yes Blaise?" he asked politely.

"You're an Assistant Professor, correct?" the dark skinned, reserved boy asked.

"That's true, amazingly enough" Harry said with a smile.

"Then... Teach. I for one want to know more about this stuff. The Professor isn't here; please continue your lecture about the clay."

Harry looked at him in surprise. "But, you of all people should know about this stuff surely?"

"Why is that?" Zabini asked, surprised but not showing a jot of it, most of his fellow house mates were now looking at him in surprise, firstly because he rarely spoke if he didn't have something to say, and because he was talking to Potter of all people, even asking him questions. Zabini did not much care about that, he truly wanted to know more. He was not alone.

Tracey Davis was looking on with interest. She could not give a crap about the clay, but Harry had sparked her interest of late, for many reasons. Least of which was the killer prank he had pulled off at the start of term. In the two weeks since though he had not pulled another. She wanted to know why that was also.

Of course, her best friend and sometimes lover was still mad at the guy, but without some sort of real proof there wasn't much she was willing to do as yet.

"Your aunt, Capalle Zabini, she's world famous for her sculptures is she not?" Harry asked.

"That she is." Zabini allowed, somewhat surprised Harry knew anything about his family, let alone the exact connection he had to the world renown artist in the family. "I have not had the opportunity, or truthfully an inclination to ask her about her work."

Harry nodded, that made sense he supposed.

He got up and meandered to the front of the class, "Does anyone else want to know about this stuff?" he asked.

There was a general chorus of yes in reply. Blushing faintly he cleared his throat. "Ok, like I said this stuff is rare. There are about a few hundred tons of it shipped out yearly. Considering that normal clay is shipped in thousands of tons a month you can see how rare. That means it costs quite a bit to buy."

"How much for each of us do you think?" Hermione asked.

Harry did a quick mental calculation. "I don't know the current market value. This is a guesstimate but I would think about... 200 galleons each. Or there about."

There was a general intake of breath. "So that" he said nodding at the sculpture Parvati had snagged, is going to cost me a bit," he said with a smile.

"I would gladly buy this." Parv said with a smile, "Do you think the professor would let me?" she asked.

Harry considered his new status. "I say you can take it. Let me worry about the consequences, and any cost." he said with one of his new, charming smiles.

She flushed slightly.

"What else is it used for Harry?" Neville asked as Lavender shot her friend a mild glare.

"Not a lot. There are other uses of course; it has been very closely inspected. It's virtually invulnerable to magic except a few spells. Once it's fixed though it could bounce back an unforgivable with the possible exception of the AK."

Harry took a breath, amazed to see that most people were actually listening to what he was saying. He stowed his nerves and continued, "There is ONE, only one potion that it is used in. But it is pretty dark magic. The potion itself also calls for the blood of a virgin and some unicorn skin. So like I said, dark as hell."

Hermione was dying to ask how the hell he knew about it then, especially with his average abilities in potions. She held her tongue though... for now.

"There is a variant though." Harry said slowly. Not sure how much he should say.

"Really, what's that for?" Blaise asked.

"This is something I doubt your aunt would use in sculpting put it that way."

"Well, spit it out." Tracey Davis put in, causing Harry to look at her in mild surprise. The girl had never said a word to him before.

"It's called Amaratian Clay. If Gongari Clay is rare, Amaratian is virtually non existent." Harry took a breath, "Okay... Who can tell me what a golem is?" he then smirked, "Not you 'Mione" he said with a wink at her. "Anyone else?"

"It's a form of earth elemental" Daphne finally spoke up.

"Good, ten points to Slytherin." Harry said. "Anyone knows HOW they are created?" he said looking at the stunning blond expectantly.

She glared back at him with her ice blue gaze, but relented. "They are called from the ground itself. A practitioner of Elemental magic can then use it to fight for them, for a set time. About 5 minutes I believe."

"Another 10 points." Harry said with a wild smile, "Do you know why they only survive that long?" he asked, curious. The blond shook her head.

"Because to call them up the elemental mage has to use part of his life force, and a good burst of power, have you seen one at all?" he asked, in general.

They all shook their heads.

"Nor have I, but I've read they are about 6 feet tall and 4 wide. Amazingly nasty fighting skills, but more brute force then anything else, RPG's have been using them for years by the way." he added the last with a smirk. Only a few got it, and those were all Muggle born. "Okay, well Amaratian clay can create a permanent golem, like the sculpture I showed you earlier, they can be animated. Their instructions are then placed on specially created papyrus, in runes and put in the things skulls. They are... without doubt. One of the truly unstoppable creations in the world, without proper instruction they well lay waste to just about everything around them. It takes a fair bit of the clay to create them too. Unless you want one half an inches tall."

"Is that it?" Draco asked, "A golem. What's so bad about that?" he sneered.

Harry just smirked, "The two clay's are very similar Draco, so think about it, virtually immune to most magic. Physically incredibly strong and driven by the makers sole instruction. The muggle born will know of something called a tank. Ask one about it. Then factor in the fact that they are virtually indestructible."

Like Draco would ever ask a muggle born anything. It was fun to do though, try to get him to ask a 'Mudblood' anything. Harry was hoping his curiosity would eventually get the better of him.

"The last Golem to be formed, strangely enough, is the very thing that mines the white clay." Harry told them.

The bell went and Harry was in a bit of a quandary, he quickly spoke up though. "Don't forget your forms and two feet on your form. List its strengths and weakness as well as drawings and ... anything else you can think of," he said quickly into the rush. He wondered if anyone would take any notice of him. He WAS an assistant professor though, could take away and assign points and if needed give homework. They should surely realize that.

"Why should we?" Draco asked.

Just then, Professor McGonagall walked in the door. "Because I say so Mr. Malfoy. You would not want to loose points by not returning your assigned homework. I would remind you that Mr. Potter is in fact an assistant professor, and has the right to assign homework and use the points system."

Draco sullenly walked away.

The class emptied, but Harry stood in place. He had a free for one thing, and secondly he was ready for a lambasting for hijacking McGonagall's class.

"I'm sorry professor. They asked me to fill them in... So I did." he said worriedly. Then added, "How long were you out there?"

"I was only five minutes in my task," she said with a thin smile. "I have to say Harry I am impressed with the depth of knowledge you have on the subject. Also at the way, you handled the class. In fact I am particularly proud of the fact you assigned points to Slytherin."

Harry blushed slightly, "She deserved it. It was only fair."

"Indeed it was. I also am amazed at you giving points to Mr. Malfoy." Minerva said with a slight nod and smile. "However, that is neither here nor there; you realize you know more about either Amaratian or Gongari clay than I. I'm curious to know how?"

"I've just picked it up, here and there." Harry said carefully. "I've been doing a lot of reading lately and strangely enough about some rare substances."

"That statue you did for Miss Patel was quite a work of art.," she added conversationally. Then she looked at him straight in the eye. "I understand you are on the Auror track?" she asked, seemingly unexpectedly.

Harry nodded, "Yes Professor."

"I would like to convince you to think about teaching as an alternative choice. You are on much the same track, but it would require some college and university as well. It's a rewarding career," she told him. Then smirked ever so slightly, "However it isn't the best paid job in the world, But then money isn't a problem to YOU is it Harry." she said sardonically.

"I'll think about Professor." Harry said after some thought, "I have to admit I quite liked teaching, this year and last. The paper work sucks though."

Minerva laughed slightly, "I see Severus has introduced you to the less interesting side of our profession."

Harry laughed too, "Indeed he has, he's had me marking the first through third year's assignments, and I never realized how bad hand writing could be. Though I do hope I was never so... strange about some of my answers."

McGonagall just quirked an eyebrow at him, "I seem to remember someone saying that transfiguration would make a good long term prison arrangement."

Harry laughed, "Well, I was stumped; and you have to admit it could work."

"Turning criminals into small rodents and placing them in a run would indeed save space, but still..." she said trailing off with a reserved laugh.

Harry smiled at her, then, "Do you really think I could?" he asked, his meaning obvious.

"I'm certain of it. You have the gift. Your own personal style of teaching will come in time; the nerves never really go away though. You see ..." she paused then, thinking of her phrasing. "You can learn from a book. What you get though, in most cases, is information. Your job as a teacher is to impart knowledge. There is a difference, as I hope you can see. It is difficult to explain properly. As a teacher you're not only telling people how to do something, your imparting the knowledge of when that should be used, the whys and wherefores of the thing." she looked a little confused at her own words.

"It's okay... I get it, I believe I do anyway." Harry said, "But I can also see it's hard to explain" he added with a smile. "I will truly think about it. I don't really want to spend my life hunting down criminals and dark lords. I really just want to have a life," he said, becoming a little quiet at the end.

She laid a hand on his shoulder, "That's your right Harry; don't let anyone take that away from you."

"Thank you Professor" Harry said, pushing aside his dark turn of thoughts. "I'll leave you to your next class. Again, sorry I hijacked this one." he told her with a laugh.

"Have a good day Harry," she said. Letting him leave, as he reached the door she stopped him, "Harry... Do not forget your form, and yes... even though you gave it out. You too have to do the homework."

Harry laughed, grabbed his Jaguar and left the classroom. Then reappeared, "Actually professor, there is one other thing..." he said

-oOo-

"Dean!" Harry said that night, catching his dorm mate's attention.

The young man turned at his voice. He was on his way back to the dorm to do some drawing. Something that usually people knew not to interrupt, so he was a little surprised and annoyed that someone was, even if it was Harry. "Yeah?" he asked as Harry caught up to him.

"Can I have a minute mate?" he asked, "In private?"

"Sure" Dean said with a shrug, starting back to the dorm. Expecting Harry to want to talk there, instead Harry virtually dragged him off on a completely different course.

"One of the perks of being me now" Harry said with a smile, "Is being able to take over a class room if I want to."

Dean laughed, "I saw that earlier mate," he said.

"No, what I mean is... the actual space." Harry said, leading him into a large classroom. Obviously, it had been empty for some time, but at one time, the use was immediately obvious to the artist.

"They used to teach art here?" he asked, amazed.

"About a hundred years ago, yeah" Harry told him. "I had to ask the Headmaster about this place. Got you permission to use It." he added.

"Really?" Dean asked, a little confused, "why would I do that. I mean I'm mostly a sketch artist."

"I know. I also know that you're planning on doing something with art after school and that you're thinking that you'll have to leave the Wizarding world to do it." Harry explained. Then he took a breath and led the other person into the centre of the room. "I wanted to show you that, you don't have to if you don't want to. I was going to ask Blaise to pitch in here, but apparently, he does not know as much as I thought he would. Though he did say that he would talk to his aunt on your behalf"

Dean was more than a little surprised at this. On two fronts, one that Blaise – Pureblood – Zabini would want to do anything to help a muggle born. In addition, that Harry knew the guy well enough to ask anything of him. Especially since, he was a Slytherin

"I expect she'll get back to us. In the meantime, you remember what I was going on about in class today?"

"Yeah sure, sounded interesting, but I'm not a sculpture artist."

"Ever tried? Ever wanted to?" Harry asked. Throwing off the sheet over a large pile of white clay

"Shit, where'd you get all this?"

Harry ignored him and grabbed a blob from the pile. "The doorway will have a password on it by the way. I will teach you it if you are interested. In the mean time, come here." Harry said, plopping the clay down on an empty desk, a strangely clean one at that.

"The spell is simple" Harry said and went on to teach the other Gryffindor the spells needed and how to cast them and the idea behind it all. "Strangely enough" Harry began to conclude, "Erasum resets the clay unless it's set with the other spell I just taught you."

"But I mean, I can't ... I mean there's so much."

Harry pulled off another sheeted pile of normal looking gray clay. "This is for practice. But I want you to try something with this bit now."

"Harry, mate, how..."

"You know the spells and as an artist, and a good one at that, you are blessed with a vivid visual mind, all you need to do is truly picture what you want to create in your minds eye. Hold that thought as tightly as you can and cast the spell. This is why not many can do this. You have to have the artist's eye and that mind set to be able to create forms. The other spell for the Animagus form is a special case. I believe in you Dean. So go on, give it a whirl."

Dean was stunned, but pleased with Harry's words and decided that if Harry believed in him then it was worth a go. In addition, there was not a lot of the special clay in front of him, so if he did mess up it would not be so bad. Moreover, he could erase and start again. He brought up the image of the piece he was currently drawing. A humming bird in flight, it was a difficult piece due to the motion involved. For this, he imagined the bird sat on a branch. Focused like crazy and then finally cast the spell. He did not dare open his eyes.

Harry gasped, "Mate... Jesus man open your eyes, take a look at what you've created-" he said in amusement and awe.

Dean opened his eyes and a smile spread over his face. "Holy shit!" he said still smiling widely.

"That is truly awesome work" a voice by the door said.

Dean spun round and looked in shock at the head master. The Headmaster was someone that he had never had the occasion to speak to in fact.

"I hope you don't mind Harry, Mr. Thomas. I was curious to see what you would create. I have to admit that is some of the finest work I have seen in a long time. You could give Capalle a run for her money with work like that," the elderly man said in an earnest tone.

Dean flushed. "T T Thank you sir." he stammered slightly.

"I promise you young man, that I mean every word. You were quite correct Harry."

"But sir" Dean said slowly, "There's so much and Harry told us how expensive it is. I can't possibly use it.," he said in a bit of a rush.

"Nonsense, we at Hogwarts have a supplier that charges us below market value. We have quite a stock pile as well since we haven't used what we had for about a 100 years." Dumbledore paused, "It is such a shame the board at the time decided it was not important enough to teach anymore. There has been quite a decline in artists since that time in England at least. The magical sort that is."

"This clay is also used in the paint used for portraits like the Fat Lady," Harry said. "I don't know how to make that though. I promise to find out though Dean."

"I can't thank either of you enough. Because Harry was right, I thought I'd have to leave the magic world to follow my heart and do art." Dean said honestly and slightly emotionally. "I didn't want to you understand, but it seemed the only way."

"I will personally contact Capalle Zabini" Dumbledore said, "I think she would be willing to come to Hogwarts for a fee and teach you and other interested students," he said glancing at Harry at the word fee. Harry nodded almost without moving.

"Really?" Dean said with excited tone and eyes.

"I'm almost certain of it. Not long ago she and I talked about the decline of art in the Wizarding world in England. Which is one of the reasons she currently lives in France" Dumbledore replied.

"Wow, thank you. And Harry mate, I owe you one." Dean said with a smile.

"Think nothing of it mate, I'd hate to see you leave because you didn't realize just how much we need someone with your skills. Art is a balm to the soul; people can look at it and loose themselves for a while. Be transported into the artist's imagination, or the scene that has been created. Just for a while, be connected to something bigger than they are. I think that's important, especially with the ugliness of war at hand."

"I couldn't have put it better Harry," Dumbledore said, looking intently at the black haired boy.

Harry shook himself a bit, "Anyway. I'd like to see more, for now you've got to fix that for prosperity."

"Did you fix Parvati?" Dean said with a slightly teasing grin.

"What has this to do with Miss Patel?" Dumbledore asked with slight amusement.

Harry refused to flush, but it was creeping down his neck anyway. "I Erh... may have used some of the clay to show the class how to do some art. I did Parv... Dean! I didn't mean it that way!" Harry said.

Dean was still sputtering with laughter. "Oh I say you did her alright. I do not know why you are on at me though, when you obviously have talent yourself. All that time you have seen me working and talked to me about it. You've never said you could do art."

Harry shook his head sadly, "I can't. Normally, it's a bit different with the clay though."

"Please, do, explain Harry" The headmaster asked curiously. He would be quite interested in seeing this for he actually, "In fact, please do show me."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Thanks mate!" he said in an aside to Dean who merely smirked at him in reply.

Harry grabbed a glob of clay and smacked it down on another desk. "A repeat or something else?"

"Do Hermione," Dean said.

'Chance would be a fine thing' Harry thought to himself smirking.

"Now who's the perv?" Dean chuckled. "Besides you know the subject well and have plenty of images of her. So it makes the perfect choice. Though we'd, for your sake, better make sure she's not dressed for clubbing or something." Dean added with a laugh.

Dumbledore lifted a white eyebrow at this, wondering mostly how Harry would know what Miss Patel looked like in clubbing gear. Whatever that actually entailed.

Harry sighed, paused a moment as he trawled through his memories, found an image and cast it.

A bust of Hermione soon appeared in place of the blob of clay.

"That IS remarkable" Dumbledore said, "I also did not realize you had artistic talent."

"That's really good mate."

"It's a memory, nothing more. YOU can take something, change it and create the image. I have to use my memory. Because of certain factors, I can do this. However, I cannot do anything else, say draw her or anything. Only because of the clay can I form any sort of image?" he said giving Dumbledore a meaningful look.

The aged man nodded in understanding, though that did also raise many questions that he was fairly certain he would not get an answer for. Such as when had he seen Parvati Patel the way described? As far as he knew, Harry was not that close with other members of his house other than the two remaining of his triad.

"Erasum" Harry said with a wave of his wand. The clay reformed into a glob.

"What did do that for Harry, it was good." Dean asked.

Harry shook his head, "It was rubbish. You're the artist here mate, trust me on this." he gave a meaningful look at the near perfect humming bird. It was perfect down to each individual feather and the texture of the branch upon which it sat.

"Indeed, you're a talented young man Mr. Thomas. It will be my, in fact the schools, pleasure to nurture that as much as possible. Allow us to try to do so I beg of you."

"Erm... Yeah of course." Dean said with a little embarrassment.

Harry grinned at him. "Glad to hear that mate. This classroom has just about everything in it you will need until Miss Zabini can arrive. I will find out how to convert the clay from somewhere. Unless you know Professor?"

"Alas, I do not. Capalle will of course. In the meantime I believe we have various colours in stock."

"I've always wanted to have a crack at painting," Dean admitted.

"Portraits take a bit more work than just painting them with special paint though mate." Harry put in, "The subject has to carry about a specially made 'soul stone' that soaks up their magical signature and personality traits and all that stuff. Then it is broken down and included in the special paint. The artist then creates the portrait and when the last stroke is laid down, it comes to life. You don't activate it like the sculptures."

"Okay mate, I'll stick to landscapes for now," Dean said with a grin.

"I'm impressed Harry on your depth of knowledge."

"I honestly read all about this stuff in the library." Harry said. It was true, the bit about the portraits he had learned in his free period earlier that day. It was just he knew the various properties of the clay's from professor Snape's knowledge.

"So Harry, you've not got me any of the other stuff then? I quite fancy an unstoppable body guard." Dean put in with a laugh.

Dumbledore looked at Harry sharply, and very intently. 'How in the world!' he asked himself. Quickly diverting his attention, he was too late; Harry noticed the look.

"Wouldn't we all mate?" Harry said with forced cheer.

"I'd like to speak with you in my office Harry, at your earliest opportunity". The headmaster said, gravely. This was bad; this was in depth knowledge of the dark arts. This could be the first sign...

Harry nodded, "Now is fine sir." he said.

Dean looked between the two with slight worry. There was a strange sort of atmosphere building up between them.

"The password is Leonardo, okay mate." Harry said, following the elder man through the door.

"Sure Harry, Sure. Thanks again" Dean said, worried for his friend, but soon loosing himself in his new work.

-oOo-

Professor Dumbledore looked over his half moon spectacles at the dark haired young man before him. "I must know Harry... Where did you find out about so much information about true Golems?"

"I read about it in the library sir" Harry lied glibly.

"That information is NOT in Hogwarts library." Albus said sternly. "You MUST tell me the truth."

Harry was not about to give up that information. He would never hear the end of it. It was also verging on bad.

"You have a worrying familiarity with dark arts. You also have an in depth knowledge of subjects that you should not have. No one your age has had time to read THAT many books Harry. Don't take me for a fool. You have a new teacher don't you." This was an accusation, not a question Harry realized. He did not like the slant the professor was putting on teacher either.

"What you think Voldemort has been nipping round to give me lessons?" he asked sarcastically. Nevertheless, was stunned to realize that was EXACTLY what the elder man was thinking.

Suddenly there was a tickle in his mind.

'That old bastard' Harry thought. He traced the intrusion as he allowed, more directed, the tendril of thought into his mind. He put up a mental construct and the world faded for them both...

Albus Dumbledore looked around in confusion at his surroundings. It was not often he was taken by surprise, but this was certainly a new one for him.

He was standing in an elaborate living room, not too dissimilar to the Gryffindor common room in appearance, though there was not quite such an explosion of red and gold. There was a roaring fire off to the side, and two high backed chairs.

Suddenly a head appeared from the side of one of the chairs.

"Take a load off Professor" Harry said, with no trace of humour in his expression. In fact, he looked quite angry.

The aged professor took the other chair and looked at his pupil. "I'm impressed with the fortitude of your defences Harry. I am sorry, but I must know."

Harry looked at him, "I'm not turning into another Dark Lord. I very strongly dislike the fact you think I am. Or that I would allow my parents Murderer to teach me anything." he said firmly.

"I understand that Harry, but still there is much unexplained knowledge you have suddenly gained."

"Severus Snape had a crush on my mother. I would go so far as to say she was the love of his life. At one time, he brewed a powerful love potion to slip into her food. Then found he could not do it. He did not want a slave; he wanted my mum to love him. Soon after that, he allowed his bastard of a father to sign him up with Voldemort. He knows more about potions than anyone alive." Harry said.

"I'm unsure how you know that."

"Except... now me. Voldemort loved but once in his life. A three-legged dog from his orphanage, it died shortly before YOU picked him up and took him to Hogwarts. He is dyslexic. Hates oranges and thinks the world should burn." Harry went on to say. "He knows more about Dark arts than anyone alive. His teacher was Grindlewald himself. He despises you for killing him, and thanks you at the same time for freeing up the position of Dark Lord." Harry went on calmly.

"How?" Dumbledore said flabbergasted.

"Your sherbet lemons contain a very mild truth serum, except the ones you pick. Your brother is not in fact worse than you are and has never actually done anything with a goat. It was a practical joke gone horribly wrong. Something you have yet to admit to him. I think you should by the way." Harry went on to an increasingly stunned headmaster.

"Coming in here with the intent to steal comes with a price since I created this place." Harry said looking around, "I'm quite proud of the place actually. This is only a copy mind. I couldn't let you into my mind."

"Price, what price"

"You tried to extract knowledge from me... So I take yours." Harry said with a nasty glint in his eye.

Dumbledore looked panicked.

"Takes a while to sort out actually, but I know everything Voldemort and Snape know. Now I know everything you know." Harry went on to tell him.

"No, Harry you must not!" Dumbledore said forcibly terminating the connection between them.

The world span back into focus and they were both looking drained.

There was silence; Dumbledore studied the young wizard with some fear in his eyes. He was not scared of Harry, more for Harry. For what he might now, know. He just hoped that he had terminated the connection in time.

Harry's eyes suddenly flashed emerald fire. He shot to his feet and the air around him began to crackle with wild magic. A visible aura appeared and Dumbledore knew that he had in fact been too late.

"You unmitigated BASTARD!" Harry raged.

"Well I say... Never in my day... How dare you" emitted from various portraits.

"Shut the FUCK UP!" Harry yelled, causing them all to freeze with a wave of his hand.

"Harry..." Albus began.

"You lied to me!" Harry said in a low, dangerous tone.

Albus felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.

"Harry it was for your own good."

"MY OWN GOOD?" Harry yelled sarcastically, "You faked the memory you showed me. Didn't you think I would find out the rest?"

"The memory was true." Dumbledore said.

Harry narrowed his eyes, unfocused for a moment then nodded, "That's true I suppose. You could have told me the second prophesy at the same time though. Do you get off on fucking up my life or what?"

"Now Harry, this was honestly for you own good. What do you think would've happened if I told you the rest, then of all times?"

"I'm not sure. But I know you weren't intending on telling me ever!" Harry steamed, "Don't you think I had a RIGHT to know that? That and the fact that prophesy is NOT immutable?"

"Do you WANT to know Harry? Do you truly?" Dumbledore asked sadly.

"I think it's important to know something like that. No wonder your mind leapt to the conclusion it did." Harry bit out slowly. "I could never become him." He said quietly. "I'll never be a dark lord."

"I believe you Harry. I fear for that day, but I don't believe it will happen."

"It won't bloody happen that's all. I won't fucking kill him."

Dumbledore blanched, "But you must." he sputtered.

"Why should I? If it means by his death I will take his place. Why should I then kill him? What fucking good would it do?"

"Because you would never become a Dark Lord." Dumbledore said surely.

"You weren't that sure a minute ago." Harry pointed out. Leaning forward and resting his knuckles on the desk, glaring right into the mans periwinkle blue eyes. "So quit the lying to me thing, huh?"

"I'm sorry, but in this case I'm not lying. You have just found out that I have partaken in the betrayal of your trust. Yet I remain sat here, in good health. Your magic is enraged, ready to kill me. Yet my Phoenix there is standing watching calmly. In fact went to your side once." Dumbledore shook his head. "The clues have always been there of course. It was not until just now that, I put everything together though. Track through the memories you took from me Harry. Find the third part."

"WHAT!" Harry raged, "There's MORE!"

Dumbledore nodded, "There is."

"Save me the trouble and prove that you can tell the truth. I WILL be checking later." Harry gritted out.

"The third and final part of the prophesy came two years after the death of your parents, it states that there is one that can defeat the dark lord and NOT take his place, it states there is a source that can defeat you both."

Harry frowned, sat down and crossed his legs. "I am the source," he said simply.

"Yes, I've just worked that out for myself." Dumbledore said with slight amusement, "It isn't what you could call common for a wizard to have a visible aura. When they are, they do NOT crackle with pure power. I do not know much. I did some research after Sybil finally ended the prophesy, I didn't find out a lot, as you will no doubt find out for yourself."

Harry smiled thinly. "Dragons" he said.

"I'm sorry?"

"You talked to the wrong people. Dragons could've told you."

"One does not converse with a dragon, usually one runs when a dragon is close enough to converse with." Dumbledore said wryly.

"I was at Gringotts on the day of the will reading. I spoke to one of the dragons guarding a vault. Thisilar was very helpful, didn't know much himself. A story passed from mother to child for a thousand years." Harry told him. "Oh if you're wondering HOW I managed that, one I stopped him dead, second dragons speak Parselmouth."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "How intriguing. Thankfully Voldemort doesn't appear to know this."

"That's correct." Harry said, "I am fairly sure I could circumvent him if he finds out though. I really need to visit a large free colony such as the one Charlie works at. Get the word out as it were."

"Well when you gain your form no doubt you will be able to visit."

"A Jaguar can't fly."

"I wasn't talking about that form." Dumbledore said with a slight smile.

Harry allowed a thin smile. "So, you're satisfied that I'm not going to be the next dark lord now."

"Harry, you have to allow that the chances of you being not only the chosen of Voldemort AND the source talked about were thin to say the least. I had to exercise caution did I not? Surely with the knowledge you have ... acquired... you realize that I only had the greater good in mind."

"I'm curious," Harry said after a slight nod, "What you were going to do if I DID turn into the next Dark Lord."

"Don't you already know?" Dumbledore said sadly.

"Yes, but I want to hear it from you."

Dumbledore reached down, slid out a drawer, and retrieved its contents. "This potion," he said holding up a small vial, "is the single most poisonous substance ever made. It is in fact the very opposite of the Philosopher's Stone. It will kill ANYTHING, even Voldemort, no matter what the prophesy says."

Harry looked gravely at the other man. "Just how the hell were you planning on getting it on me?"

"I was going to drink it, enter where-ever you were and quite simply bite you."

"Crappy plan, sir."

"Or I could ... use someone else. But I preferred to do such a thing myself."

"Not what I meant. What makes you think you'd survive long enough to ... deliver it?"

He reached into the drawer below the one he had just used, "This," he said holding up a familiar looking chunk of crystal.

"Dear sweet god in heaven." Harry said, "You complete idiot. You've had that HERE in your damn drawer where Voldemort could get at it at any time?"

"Indeed, it has never been anywhere but this drawer. It is keyed to my personal signature though. I am the only one that could take it from the drawer. The wards are tied to Hogwarts itself and have the same reserves of power available to them. It's as safe as possible."

"You said you destroyed it!"

"That one I did. Nicholas was tired of life anyway. This I made myself."

Harry laughed, "Interesting. It did say you worked with the only KNOWN maker of the stone."

"Indeed."

"You're a crafty old bastard Headmaster, and don't think I won't be pissed about this for sometime to come, but I have to admire your balls."

"I'm hoping that has a different connotation in the Muggle world." Dumbledore said carefully.

Harry laughed, "It means bravery if you like."

Dumbledore smirked

Harry laughed again, "But then you already knew that didn't you?" he asked still laughing. "I'm shocked Headmaster at the depths you will sink to in order to get a laugh. However, like I said, I have not forgotten and I have not forgiven. Even if I understand why you did what you did."

"That, I think, is all I can ask." Dumbledore said, "And I will forgive you for the theft." he added

"I'd prefer keeping that tit bit of knowledge to us for now. It's a useful skill sir."

"Indeed, somehow though it feels like cheating don't you think?"

Harry laughed, "Now if only I could get Professor Flitwick to try Legilimens on me?"

"I think you'll find all you need to know about charms in your mind. I must ask. How does it work? Is the knowledge instantly available, or does it appear when you need it to?"

"It takes a while to... file... actually. I have to study it closely to make it truly useful. This is why I know so much about Arithmancy and Runes now I found Voldemorts connection was seeping dark magic into my system…" Harry trailed off, "my god, that's how it would've happened isn't it."

Dumbledore nodded, "If indeed you are being soaked with dark magic then we still have cause for concern."

"I've dealt with that actually." Harry said. "I created a mental ward over the inside of the curse scar. A purifying ward turns dark magic to untouched. After that it mixes with my core and is tainted again for sure, but hopefully to a whiter version."

"Fascinating," Dumbledore said, his hand scratching his chin. "I've heard of such wards of course, they are generally used for purifying an area from evil spirits and the alike. There is in fact one in place in the Chamber of Secrets now. The rotting of the Basilisk you killed and the pure poison leaking out of it was causing us some problems."

"Yeah, that's were I got the idea. Well not THAT exactly, I didn't know you were doing that. But the general use for that sort of warding. That I knew."

"Where did you gain that knowledge? Just as a matter of interest."

"Voldemort, actually, when WE eventually attack his HQ, we're going to need Bill in a big way, his entire team would be better though. Voldie knows his ward schema."

"Oh drat." Dumbledore sighed. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Harry laughed, "Get comfortable Headmaster, we're in for a long chat."

-oOo-

Tired, emotional and a little pissed still, Harry walked into the common room at close to midnight. He had told the headmaster as much as he could that was germane to any attack they may do. That and some of the more esoteric rites that the scaly dude had done.

Dumbledore and he had then tossed a few ideas back and forth about Voldemort himself. Harry had insider knowledge and the knowledge of the headmaster himself in his head. It was unsorted and chaotic still, but Harry was able to give a unique insight into the Dark Lord via all his knowledge.

Dumbledore was a learned man, very much so in fact. He still had not organized his mind like Harry and was not Harry, meaning that Harry was able to look at things from a very different view than the man himself. Refreshing the ideas, Dumbledore himself had thought of over the years.

Harry knew he was going to be in for more of the same, and fully intended on spending the night in his construct sorting and filing. That way he would at least be able to make head and tail of the information he had gained. Luckily, time in his head was not like time on the outside. Thought was a much speedier thing than the real world. He still needed to get some rest first though.

Unfortunately, he might not get the chance.

"Hello Harry. I was wondering where you were. Who were you with?" Lavender asked a slight tone of accusation in her voice.

"Professor Dumbledore. What are you still doing up. If you're waiting for me, my darling, I'm sorry but I'm way too tired tonight."

Apparently, this was NOT the right thing to say. "Is that all you think of me?" She demanded, getting to her feet and facing him with flashing eyes.

Harry narrowed his eyes at her, "What?"

"For the last two weeks we've done everything but actually get down and fuck. Every night we go to that place and have our 'fun'. Is that all you think of me, Harry?"

"Keep your bloody voice down!" He shot back.

"So it is, and you're ashamed of me to boot." She spat in a low dangerous tone.

"Lav, I've had a long day and a hard time tonight. I don't want to argue with you on top of that."

"Tough, Potter, I want to know what that was all about today? Think you could just come onto my best friend and I wouldn't be suspicious?"

"Keep. Your. Bloody. Voice Down! And what the hell are you on about. When did I crack onto Parv?"

"Oh, that statue thing, you don't think that was at all... I dunno... wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Okay, why not me then?"

"Why not you what?"

"A statue of me? Why not me?"

Harry quirked a grin. "My strongest memories of your pertain to our 'private' time together. I didn't think for a minute you'd want all the boys in our year to know what you looked like naked."

"So THAT IS ALL YOU THINK OF ME!" She virtually roared.

"That's it!" He said and grabbed her arm. By time she had wrenched it away they were in their personal playpen.

"Brought me down here for a quick one, have we?" she asked and started to disrobe. "Tell you what, just get on with it then, since it's so obviously all you want from me."

"Stop!" Harry said, "It was YOU, you that wanted to keep us casual was it not?"

Again, not the right thing to say, "Take me back!" She demanded.

"Not yet, I want to know what's going on."

"If you don't already understand Potter I'm not telling you."

"You used to call me Harry," he said wiping a tired hand down his face.

"I used to think you were a good man," she said venomously.

Harry looked at her sharply. "I wasn't cracking onto Parv," he said in a low tone. "Even if I was, you have no leg to stand on."

"What makes you say that?" she demanded dangerously.

"I'm not the only one that flirts in this relationship," he told her. "There's no harm in flirting."

"I don't flirt," she said imperiously.

"Ron." Harry said simply.

Lavender narrowed her eyes at him. "Been spying on me, have we?"

"I just walked in; you were virtually on his lap at the time. Poor guy would've gone red if his blood flow wasn't south at the time." Harry said off handed.

"Are you calling me a tart?" she snarled.

Harry blinked, "Urm... No. But if the shoe fits, Lav."

WHACK

The air crackled dangerously. "You didn't want to do that," he said in a low tone, one that sent shivers of fear down Lavender's spine.

"Oh, I did." she said, biting back her fear. She went to do it again.

Harry almost lazily reached out and caught her wrist. "I wouldn't suggest doing that again Lav.," he said in a normal tone, despite the fact his eyes were as hard as ... emerald.

She snatched her hand back, rubbing her wrist slightly. "You hurt me."

Harry looked contrite for a moment, and then got angry. "For fucks sake, you're whining about a slight pain from your wrist when you just HIT me?"

"I'm a girl." she said, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Lav. I tried not to. But it's hard to not cause some pain when catching a FAST MOVING OBJECT!"

She winced back away from him. "She won't fuck you," she said suddenly.

"What, who, what are you talking about!" Harry said in exasperation.

"Parvati, she's got class, which is more than I can say for you!"

"I'm not chasing Parvati, Lav." Harry said, trying to make her see reason. "Even if I was... Why do you care?"

"I don't. Not anymore. I've got a date!" she said.

Harry blinked. Her mercurial train of thought was driving him up the wall. "But aren't you mad at me for even looking at another girl. Yet you're telling me now that you are going on a date? Double standards, perhaps, just a fricking little bit?" Harry shot out.

"We're Casual. I'm going to do as I please." she spat.

"Fine!" Harry said throwing up his hands. "Do what you like I don't care. I thought you were going to go out with me for a while. Then you are all 'Let's being casual Harry. I couldn't be your girlfriend' which just so happens is very fucking insulting. Then you are mad at me for making a sculpture for Parvati, thinking I'm trying to seduce her or something. Which is just bloody insane, and by the way. Who was egging me on that first night to snog her?" Harry took a breath, but did not let Lavender get a word in. "Now! Now you're bloody well telling me you're going on a date. Guilty conscience? Is that why you lashed out at me first? Don't you think I would've just been fine with it in the first place? For God's sake, Lav, you are your own woman. See who you like, see me if you want, don't if you don't. Just don't go picking a fight so you can make ME into the bad guy. I am honouring YOUR arrangement, Lav. Not the other way around."

Lavender did a guppy impression at him. Then she got pissed again, "You're a one, aren't you. Happy up there on your high horse are we?"

Harry just rolled his eyes. "Oh great, off we go again," he muttered.

"It's Ron," she said unexpectedly.

Harry stopped dead, "What?" he said in a low tone again. The air suddenly filled with the promise of violence.

"It's Ron. He asked me today, and after seeing you all over Parv. I said yes to going to Hogsmeade this weekend with him."

"Don't do this, Lav. Not Ron." Harry said shaking his head.

Lavender got a slightly nasty smile on her face. "Aren't I good enough for him or something? Fine for the Great Harry Potters play thing, but I am not good enough for his friend?"

"That's not what I mean. You are getting into the middle of something you do not want to be Lav. You could get hurt."

"Is that a threat?" she asked, virtually snarled.

"No, it's a prediction, you're fond of those aren't you Lav."

"Only my friends call me that, Potter."

Harry studied her steadily. "Put some clothes back on Lavender, you cease to amuse Me.," he said in a nasty tone. "Stay the hell away from Ron, I can't afford for you to be getting in the middle of THAT."

Lavender was putting on the clothes she had managed to remove, while being angry and hurt. Apparently, she was right all along. He only wanted her for her body, and now he was tired of her. However, at the same time she realized that it was mostly her own fault. She had just pushed the wrong button. However, she did want to know what the hell she was supposedly getting in the middle of.

Harry tossed the rune stone at her. "Press the rune at the top and it will take you back."

"I wonder if people would like to know about Potter's Love Palace." She asked, tossing the rune stone back and forth between her hands.

Harry smiled slightly, "I'd hoped I was wrong, but apparently not. This place is protected Lavender. By ancient and powerful wards, only a Parselmouth can find it with out that stone. Which by the way will cease to work in..." he glanced at his watch, "Twenty seconds."

She looked panicked at him for a moment, then angry, and then resigned. This had gotten weird in a very short time and she had no one to blame but herself for that. "I won't tell anyway." She whispered and activated the rune stone.

Harry watched her go with sad expression on his face. He had not done it in fact, but an expression occurred to him that seemed to fit.

"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned." he quoted.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

That Weekend

Narcissa Malfoy looked up at her cell door with fear hiding in the depths of her eyes. They had left her mostly alone, a fact for which she was grateful. Some jeering from the cell door had occurred of course, but that was mostly it. All except from HIM, he had looked at her from the bars, intently with something dirty and evil lurking behind his dark eyes.

It gave her the creeping flesh is what it did.

Her possible saviour during this time had been the single foreigner. She did not know his name, but he was always watching Rudolphus, pulling him away when he looked to be about to enter the cell.

He was gone now and Narcissa knew it was only a matter of time. Then he would be back. She was sure of it.

-oOo-

The halls of the school were virtually empty, for which Harry was actually grateful. Since he and Lavender had ended their ... arrangement ... things had been tense whenever they were forced together, which meant most of his classes and some times at night too.

He did not really understand totally, what had happened that night.

He did not care either. No one hit him without a price. Even if that meant he too paid a price. The biggest problem was that she was now in the nearby town of Hogsmeade with his best friend. Who had been on about the date pretty much the entire time Harry was with him. He had also seen the look on Hermione's face the first time she had heard as well. He did not like to see his friends were in pain, especially when it was one friend hurting the other. Of course, the big prat had no idea what he was doing to the bushy haired girl of the trio.

He hated to see her hurting. Then she had disappeared when everyone had gone to the town. He himself did not much feel like going. Since Daphne had not taken him up on his offer, Harry smirked at the thought; he was roaming the school with nothing particular in mind.

He turned a corner and a blur of red caught his eye.

His back was thrust against a hard rough-hewn wall and a tongue invaded his mouth. It was not an entirely unpleasant kiss either. Hot with a hint of vanilla in his nostrils.

Then it hit him who was trying to shove their tongue down his throat; he grabbed her arms, literally lifted her off him, and held her at arms length. "WHAT THE FUCK, GINNY!"

She smirked at him and tried to move in to kiss him again. Her hair wild and lips pouting.

"NO," he said holding her steady. "Just NO," he said, putting her down. "Wrong, so very wrong." he said running off as if the hounds of hell were on his heels.

Ginny watched him go and smirked to herself. It was not quite, what she was hoping for, but she was willing to bet he was not thinking of her like a sister at that moment in time. Moreover, boy could he kiss!

Harry turned another corner at random and legged it as fast as he could, darting a look behind him, tripping in the process. He sprawled onto the floor and slid along slightly. "Bugger it.," he mumbled picking himself back up and dusting himself off. Luckily, his favourite coat had protected him from the floor itself. Nevertheless, his pride had taken a bashing. There was no enchantment known to man that could protect that. For shame!

-oOo-

'Oh... bugger' Narcissa thought to herself as a shadow fell across her door.

Rudolphus LeStrange appeared and opened the cell door looking at her in that weird way of his. He smiled nastily at her after a moment. "The boys and I... we're bored."

"This interests me how?" She asked, filling her voice with as much disdain as she was capable of, which was quite a bit.

He was across the cell and her world exploded in a flash. Stars filled her vision and she felt her knees buckle. Yet she did not allow herself to fall. The point was moot anyhow. The burly man grabbed her by her slender neck and hauled her hard against the wall. "It should interest you," he snarled, "because you're the entertainment, bitch. I just hope you're more fun than your frigid sister!"

Narcissa quailed internally. This was REALLY not good. She prayed for salvation, reached out for all her worth, hoping against hope that someone would protect her from a fate worse than death for a woman.

Gang rape was not on her personal wish list.

If only someone would hear her.

-oOo-

Someone heard her.

The ancient and most noble house of Black did not much care for their members. The Potters, on the other hand, had set up protections on their family line many generations ago. These protections crossed over to the Black line when the two families were merged. Since the Blacks were now Potters, the emergency and danger of one of their members reached out to the patriarch, who just happened to be one Harry James Potter.

In Hogwarts Castle, he suddenly felt a chill go over him and an image of a stunning blond woman crossed his mind. He barely knew the woman, let alone why she would be in his head at that moment in time. He knew one thing for sure, though: she was in terrible danger and it was up to him to help her.

Power flared around him in a crackle and snap of almost electric intensity. He ran like crazy, almost insanely fast to outside, then without thinking about he was doing, as soon as he reached clear air he took three fast steps and lifted into the air.

As he was in the air, his body screamed in pain, with him following closely and vocally. He elongated drastically, his arms shrank, and his legs moved and grew. His sides split open and protuberances rushed out. His skin grew darker and darker, yet conversely his eyes grew brighter while staying the same color.

Pure magic flared around him, creating a virtual bubble. Then with a scream that turned into a haunting and powerful roar, his wings flapped once and he disappeared with a sudden inrush of air.

-oOo-

Near Prague, a sonic boom shook the very foundations of the cottage hidden away in the countryside of the Czech Republic surrounding the capital city.

Inside the nondescript abode, the residents barely noticed.

Narcissa once again nearly fell to her knees, only to be grasped somewhere inappropriate and pulled back up, then pushed across the circle to another, who repeated the process. Her clothing was ripped and in places, places she would really rather it was not, missing. The lower half of her dress had pretty much been torn away in the first few seconds and she knew it would not be long before someone started the 'real' entertainment.

A musky scent hit her nose and she was held firmly against a broad chest. A hand grabbed her breast firmly, and then painfully palpating the soft flesh through the remaining material of her dress, which was then torn away with a nasty jerk. "Such soft flesh, such pretty skin," Rudolphus purred. "Unmarred by time, young, supple, nubile flesh," he breathed.

She winced as she felt something pressing into her backside. Suddenly she was twirling again and the room was a dizzying blur.

Then, BANG, the wall exploded backwards away from the centre. Everyone, including her turned.

A HUGE dragon was looking in, burning emerald eyes glaring in. Then it breathed in. It's maw opening slowly. She saw the ignition flares and screamed, diving away to the side.

She was one of the few that had the smarts to do so. The room filled with bright, molten breath that seemed to fill the entire area, yet she was miraculously, left untouched.

Those that had not looked for cover or just plain run for it were gone, blown away with the sheer intensity of the flame in which they had been caught. Those that had caught a break and found some cover were burnt at the edges and gradually making their way out from blacked tables and other furniture.

Rudolphus LeStrange walked towards her, fixated on her almost.

The dragon Roared. The capital included. LeStrange stopped dead, glanced between her and the dragon, lust and hate warring in his gaze, before Apparating with a loud crack.

Narcissa let out a slight breath of relief. Now all she had to do was survive the bloody dragon and she MIGHT get out of this alive.

There was a strange sort of noise, one created by a sudden inrush of air, then bright spells starting to fly into the room. Return fire was given, and the fight was on.

Her jaw dropped when she saw whom it was fighting their way into the room.

'What is HE doing here?' She asked herself, while at the same time thanking whichever deity had sent him to her in her time of need. Younger or not, she was seriously contemplating 'thanking' his lights out for this.

The firefight, in all, did not last long. The Potter boy was nothing if not lethal, and powerful. The very air around him was crackling with power as he poured spell after spell into the surviving Death Eaters. There was an air of competence about him that was calm and calming too. For some reason Narcissa was beginning to feel safe.

Just then, the air started to turn bright green as the killing curse was thrown around like a jelly leg's curse in Hogwarts duelling club.

Harry dodged the first wave and then threw up a solid wall of granite. The amassed AK's blew it apart, but it had done its job. 'So no shield could stop the AK huh?' Harry thought to himself slightly smugly before he then returned fire like crazy. He held back his true power though, relying on knowledge gained and his own experience and usual power levels, which were by no means small.

He felled a Death Eater with a well-placed Reducto that literally blew the man apart, sending tendrils of gore all over the place and then a bone-smashing curse crippled another for life. No; the boy who lived was not messing around, he was playing for keeps.

This small fact seemed to scare the last three Death Eaters significantly and with three loud cracks, they retreated.

Nothing moved for several seconds.

Narcissa heard a slightly inhuman growl that sent shivers of fear down her back.

She then heard a loud intake of breath. "Fuck" a soft voice said. "Double Fuck," it said again. Then, "I suppose it had to happen eventually." The voice continued sadly. "You can come out now, Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa stepped out from behind the rubble she had been hiding in, "Ms. Ms Black, actually." She said, dragging her shredded dignity around her and standing tall and proud, despite the fact she was pretty much down to lace underwear set with bits of cloth littered about her person. Her normally perfect hair was in disarray and her face a bruised and bloody mess.

Harry growled when he saw her and she feared he was merely going to finish her off. "Bastards!" he spat. He waved his wand and she felt the tightness leave her face, he had obviously just healed her. However, the feel of his magic had been a little off from what she knew. She was no slouch herself when it came to healing, thanks to an abusive family life. She had thought she knew just about every healing spell known to man. Her cosmetic charms were particularly good as well. Nevertheless, Harry had just healed her and, if she was not mistaken, fixed her make up and hair in one spell.

He took off his long leather coat and handed it to her. He smiled slightly, "I'll be wanting that back."

She took it gratefully, putting it around her slender frame and shivered as she felt that it was seeped in magic, pure and powerful magic at that. Dumbledore must have given it to the boy. Talking of the headmaster, he was sure to be around here somewhere as well. She could not conceive how Harry would be here otherwise. The why totally eluded her for the moment. "Thank you," she said, realizing that she was allowing her manners to drop. She could not allow that.

Harry looked around with a shadowed expression.

"It had to be done," she whispered. "They were about to gang rape me. I don't mourn their deaths and nor should you. They were scum."

"If I started to think like that, Ms. Black, I would be no better than them now would I?" Harry said in a low tone, low through sadness rather than anger.

"We should leave before they send reinforcements," she said, allowing him his truism.

Harry nodded and reached out to her. She quailed back away from him slightly and then admonished herself. HE was not going to hurt her, not after all this.

"Where's the Dragon?" She asked as he made contact with her shoulder.

"What dragon?" Harry said with a mysterious smile. "Obliviate," he said.

The world was filled with a pair of emerald eyes; her entire world was in those eyes. Then...

She was standing in a street wondering what the hell had happened.

As she watched, Harry Potter of all people, stood beside her. Why was she wearing this coat anyway? She remembered being pushed around, LeStrange and his hands, and other things. Then nothing until just now? How odd.

Harry tapped his temple with his wand and a tiny translucent dragon rushed from the end of his wand and disappeared into the sky.

"Won't be long," he said. "You've had a traumatic experience, Ms Black." He said softly.

"I don't remember much," she told him faintly. "I just can't seem to remember what happened. Did you save me?"

"After a fashion," he allowed.

"Where are we?"

"That will, I hope, be shortly revealed." Harry said, and two pops announced a pair of arrivals.

"Ahh Harry. Whatever have you been up to this time?" Albus said with a smile. "Ms Black, a pleasure."

"Wotcha, Harry." Tonks said, casting Narcissa a look, "Auntie," she added grudgingly.

"What can we do for you, Harry?" Dumbledore said.

Harry looked at him and their gazes locked.

The world faded for them both as Harry dragged in the headmaster.

"This is the real thing," he said with a smile. "Don't go poking around, or I'll put you in the Cruatious room."

"I think I learned not to take liberties with your mind Harry. Thank you for the trust you are showing me." Dumbledore said earnestly. "Now we're here and obviously talking privately. What can I do for you? As well as ... what on earth happened?"

Harry shrugged, "For that, I'm not entirely sure. I can tell you I was just in Prague and that I can indeed do the transformation we discussed. Hurt like a bitch though. But much faster than Apparating," he said the last with a grin.

"Congratulations, my boy, on two counts. One you did it, well done. Two, this also lends more weight to the fact you are The Source."

"Here's hoping" Harry said. "Because trust me, you do NOT want to try fighting my dragon form," he added with a chuckle.

"What species of dragon were you?" Dumbledore had to know.

"Black."

"Good lord."

"Quite."

"So what can I do for you? I suspect you have a reason for bringing the erstwhile Mrs. Malfoy to my doorstop?"

"I'd like for you to give her sanctuary. In Grimmauld Place."

Dumbledore put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "You realize, of course, that I would be taking an awfully big risk. She is the wife of a known Death Eater and one of the inner circle at that."

"Trust me, she doesn't have the mark."

Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at him

"There is a very good reason why she's wearing my coat, Professor. They were about to do something truly unforgivable to her." He said with disgust dripping from every word.

"I take it you... dealt with them?"

"In some cases... permanently." Harry said with a heavy sigh.

"I'm so very terribly sorry, Harry. I had hoped to shield you from having to take a life for sometime yet."

Harry just nodded

"I shall do as you ask, though, dear boy. She signed the contract and I assume is not at this point a Squib, so we can trust her a little. However, the wording of the contract was quite loose really. She was not a death eater at the point she signed the contract and was not at the time supporting them. She may plan to though and this could all be an elaborate set up."

Harry shook his head, "I know scared when I see it, sir. She was scared."

"I hate to be a suspicious old codger, but she WILL have to be watched. In the meantime, I'm sure there is something she can do to keep busy."

"Actually, I employ her, if you remember. However, before any of that, you will need Madam Pomphrey to look at her. I healed the more obvious stuff but there could be... internal injuries. I think I caught them before that, but I didn't have the heart to ask her flat out."

Dumbledore looked gravely at him and nodded, "All will be attended to Harry, fear not."

"Just as a matter of interest, why is Tonks here."

"She was... visiting when I got you Adfero. Nicely done by the way, clear and concise, a dragon too I note. I thought your Animagus form would be a type of cat- a Black Jaguar from what Minerva tells me."

"Visiting? Do not forget Professor I know what you know. But I'd twigged her before that." Harry said with a sardonic smile.

"I know that, Harry, I was just being delicate. Now we should return before the others wonder why we are staring each other in the eye."

Harry laughed even as the construct faded away from them.

In a blink to the two women present, Harry and the elderly Professor appeared to glance at each other and converse.

"If you'd just read this, Narcissa" Albus said passing her a scrap of parchment.

"You can't be serious." Tonks put in.

"Can it- Tonks" Harry snapped. "She's been through enough today."

"Indeed I am forced to agree, Nymphadora"

Under the weight of the two of them, she fell silent.

"What... My god," Narcissa said, reading the parchment and watching the large place of her childhood suddenly shoulder its way into existence. "Home," she whispered almost reverently. "I thought it had been destroyed, I never dreamed it was under a Fidelius."

"Welcome back, Narcissa."

"Ms Black, we should get inside."

"I think, under the circumstances, Mr. Potter, you can call me Cissy."

Tonks blinked in shock as Harry smiled at the elder woman charmingly, "Harry then. We still should go on in though. Anyone about?" He said the last to his headmaster.

"No, not today, I will call a meeting and inform them of our new guest. It wouldn't do for certain parties to be blowing her away before they knew what was going on."

Harry chuckled at him as Tonks goggled at his use of the vernacular.

The four of them walked into the still dark and brooding house, despite their best efforts it remained a gloomy place to be.

Harry winced as Tonks once again tripped over the umbrella stand.

Mrs. Black awoke and took a breath, then stopped. "Cissy?"

"Mother," Narcissa said frostily.

"Welcome home, darling. I do hope you brought your sister with you."

"No... Bella is indisposed currently."

"A shame, well it's good to see you here. Visiting or staying?"

"Staying, I believe, at least for a while."

"Knew that Lucius was a shifty character," Mrs. Black commented before going back to sleep.

Narcissa glared at the sleeping portrait. "Old Bitch," she muttered under her breath.

Harry chuckled, "Come on ... Cissy, let's get you a room and some medical attention." He said with a look at the professor.

"I've got field training. I'll take a look before Poppy get's here." Tonks said.

"Very well" Dumbledore said, "I will fetch her myself, given the ... delicacy of the situation. I would be correct in thinking you don't wish your son to know..."

Cissy shook her head firmly.

"Then I will return shortly. Take Ms Black to the second from top floor there is a room at the end that is empty currently. I believe in fact it was your old room, Cissy."

"Only Harry may call me that," she said frostily. "To you I'm Narcissa, since you're giving me a home, it would be Ms Black otherwise, Professor. We are NOT friends; yet."

Dumbledore nodded, in partial understanding, and left to get outside of the wards.

Tonks glared at her aunt, "Come on then... Your Ladyship."

Narcissa curled her lip in a condescending smile. "I see you haven't changed, my dear Niece. Still tripping over everything, just as common as your father and decidedly odd to boot"

Tonks snarled and drew her wand.

"Stop! We don't need this Oestrogen contest on top of everything else." Harry told them sternly.

"Sorry, Harry" they said together.

He smirked slightly, "You take Ms Black to her room and check her over. I'm sure Madam Pomphrey will be here soon but just in case..."

"Actually... Harry. I'd be grateful it you stayed." Narcissa said, "And I believe I asked you to call me Cissy."

Tonks narrowed her eyes at her aunt. "Come, Aunt Narcissa," she said firmly, and led the elder woman by the elbow up the many stairs towards their destination.

Finally, they reached the large room and Cissy looked around with a small nostalgic smile on her face. "Dear me, I haven't thought about this place for so long.," she said under her breath.

"Not as girly as I was expecting." Harry commented.

"Girly?" Tonks said in amusement.

"You have to remember Tonks, the only girls bedroom I've ever seen was Ginny's"

"Oh eye, should I tell Bill that?" she teased.

A light went off behind Harry's eyes. "Ahh" he said, then frowned. "What about Fleur?"

"Huh? What are you on about, Harry? Did you get hit in the head or something?"

"We'll talk later." Harry said grimly, feeling strangely like he had been hit in the gut.

"Indeed, Harry you could do so very much better" Cissy said with a drawl.

Harry smiled charmingly at her, "Such as?" he asked sexily.

"What?" Tonks said, all at sea.

Cissy quirked a smile, "I see Andy kept the brains to herself then."

"WHAT?" Tonks said with some asperity this time.

"We'll talk later ... At Length" Harry promised her, strangely angry at the thoughts in his head.

"I meant what I said," Cissy put in.

"Never mind, I don't have time for this. Let's take a look at you then."

Harry moved to leave.

"Stay... Please. I don't really remember what happened, but I KNOW it was you." Cissy said in a slightly lost voice.

"Don't trust me, Auntie?"

"Not on your life." Cissy snapped back.

"Enough! I'll stay, but Cissy you're..."

"Virtually naked under this coat." she said with a soft smile. "I think you saw just about everything I have to offer when you found me. Unless you Appareted the coat onto my person upon your arrival."

"No... Unfortunately, I didn't."

Cissy laughed hollowly, "Am I THAT old to look at."

"God no, you're a goddess..." Harry trailed off and blushed beetroot. "I just mean... Oh bugger." he said lapsing into silence under Tonks' redoubled glare.

"One of the more honest compliments I have ever had, I think." Cissy said and pulled off the coat, it fell to the floor with a heavy sounding thud.

"Fuck," Tonks breathed. "What the hell happened?" She asked as her wand tip lit and she began to trace it over the elder woman, wincing every so often as she did so.

"I was about to be raped by several Death Eaters. I don't suppose you got Rudolphus, did you?" Cissy asked of Harry, who was looking off to one side, so he was not just gawking at her.

"No, sorry I don't think I did. Burly... dark hair, mad dog look about him?"

"That's an apt description if ever I heard one."

"He Appareted out soon after the battle began." Harry said sorrowfully.

"Battle?" Tonks asked him askance. "What sort of trouble have you been getting into without me around to keep an eye on you, Luv?"

Harry smiled sadly, "The usual, Tonks, the usual."

Tonks turned back to her patient, "Three broken ribs, a hairline fracture in your shoulder and two broken fingers. Nothing... internal though."

"They never got that far thanks to him." Cissy said, flashing a rare and true smile at the man in question. "Tell me how I can repay that, please."

Harry's libido promptly supplied some answers, but he wisely ignored it. Instead, he shook his head, "All part of the service now that you're a part of the House of Potter."

"Is THAT how you found me?"

"No idea."

"Some Families, unfortunately not my own, use special line spells to warn the patriarch when a member of the house is in danger. It's an old practice, but then once done it doesn't actually need to be redone." Narcissa told him.

"Huh, could be it." Harry said. "Horrible feeling, though"

"I'd like to know how you got out of school and to her so quick." Tonks said firmly.

"A guy has to maintain some mystique, you know." Harry said with a charming and infectious smile.

"Git," Tonks shot back mildly.

"So I've been told," Harry replied with a chuckle. "So what can you do for Cissy?"

"Nothing but patch her up, but since Poppy is on the way..." she trailed off with a shrug. "There's little point. I'll get you a pain potion, though."

"There is no need. I am no stranger to pain." Cissy said with a dark tone.

Harry growled, "Who?"

"Awfully protective of someone you hardly know, Harry," Tonks said with a carefully neutral expression and tone. She looked somewhat accusingly at the blond.

"She's under my protection now. It goes with the territory."

Tonks quirked an eyebrow at him and she found herself asking, "What about me?"

Harry smiled warmly at her, "Have been for a while," he told her.

She felt the room heat up at that proclamation, and then realized she was not being the strong, independent young Auror she was. "I don't need protecting by you, Harry. I can look after myself."

"Everyone needs some protection." Harry said simply.

"I... for one am glad of it." Cissy said, sitting down and crossing her legs, totally secure in her near nakedness and safety in present company.

Harry goggled at her lithe form for a moment before shaking himself slightly and looking away.

Cissy allowed herself a small smile. It was good to know she was still attractive to a real man. Being leered at by death eaters did not have the same flavour for some reason.

"Cover Up," Tonks snapped, kicking up Harry's coat and tossing it at her.

"Is it worth it? Madam Pomphrey will be here shortly."

"Actually, I'm already here." the woman in question said walking into the room, her usual air of efficiency about her. Her wand was out in a flash. "Lie on the bed, would you." she said, putting her medical bag down beside the bed.

Cissy slid back on the bed and did as she was told.

Harry cast another glance over her again, then forced away his eyes. 'For god's sake, she's just been through hell, stop eying her up!' he admonished himself. Though he had been used to certain- supply of late and found that his hormones were giving him trouble of late, the little head doing a bit more thinking than perhaps it should. Her age though did not factor into it. She was a powerfully attractive woman that obviously kept herself in shape. Moreover, he had a total of about 250 years floating around in his head. It made age seem largely irrelevant. He found his eyes resting on Tonks as she leaned over to watch the school nurse at work. His eyes slid over her compact but shapely form coming to rest on her firm backside. A low growl emitted from the back of his throat.

Suddenly all eyes were on him.

'Whoops' he thought to himself.

"Anger at those who did this is natural Harry," Poppy told him softly.

'Oh thank god. I don't think Tonks even saw me eying her arse either,' he thought, and he then met Tonk's amused gaze. 'Oh bugger'

She licked her lips slowly, looking him slowly up and down as the nurse rambled on about something that Harry totally missed.

God the things he would like to do to the Metamorph...

"Harry, I think it's about time you returned to school. Your classmates will soon be returning to the castle. It wouldn't do for them to be unable to find you." Dumbledore said from behind him.

"Quite right, sir" Harry said in a robotic tone.

Dumbledore frowned, "Are you well lad?"

Harry shook himself, "Oh, right. What did you say... sir?"

Tonks allowed herself a slight smile. 'Score,' she thought, then, 'No, No, No, and just no. Your charge, remember? You cannot watch his back from your knees. Hmm- No!'

"I'll be going then." Harry said, "I'll come and check on you tomorrow, Cissy. If that's okay, of course."

"I would be grateful. Among other things, we have my employment to discuss."

Harry nodded, "Tomorrow then." He walked out with the headmaster at his back. Once they were in the hallway he looked around him and then at the elderly man. "Anyone else here?" he asked

Dumbledore shook his head. "Two things then. This place sucks like this, wouldn't you like a change?" Harry asked with a grin.

"It is quite impervious to the magic we have tried."

Harry smirked, his Aura flared dramatically, causing the headmaster to have to look away. A pulse of pure unadulterated power later and a wave of pure white light exploded from their position. The darkness seemed to flee before it, and behind that, a very different Number 12 Grimmauld Place appeared. In total, it took less than a minute to spread all over the house, becoming invisible by time it hit Cissy's bedroom.

"Merlin, Harry" Dumbledore exclaimed, "That was quite amazing, and good lord look at the old place."

"Secondly, would you like to travel in a slightly different way that you're used to?"

"I don't think a dragon would be missed around here, as exciting as the prospect is."

Harry shook his head. "I assure you Headmaster that would NOT be safe. The Dragon- He's, different, they have a different way of looking at the world. I'm not sure if I would allow you to 'ride' me... oh god that sounded SO wrong."

Dumbledore chuckled, "You must author a paper given that Dragons are a highly studied creature, yet no one really understands them."

"I'm not sure I'd be able to help. The Black, he is- royalty, a king, almost a god among dragons. He views things differently than even his own kind."

"You talk of your other form as a different personality entirely."

Harry shook his head, "Not quite right. It is merging with me, I can feel it. I'm humanizing it while at the same time it's making me... more feral I think."

"That is somewhat troubling." Dumbledore admitted.

"I think it'll be okay. I'm not turning dark, maybe a little gray though."

"That is how the world truly is." Dumbledore said gravely, then brightened, "So what were you talking about?"

Harry smiled, reached out and clasped the older mans shoulder. A swirl of pure power flowed around them and they were gone. Only to reappear in the head master's office.

Fawkes gave an alarmed squawk and nearly fell off his perch.

Dumbledore laughed gaily and stumbled slightly, "Just... Wow," he said. "There is no other word that seems to fit."

"Are you okay sir?"

"I'm fine, better than in fact. I feel... fresh." He said, "Remarkable." He said with a slightly silly grin. "Is that what it feels like for you to wield your power all the time?"

"Usually," Harry admitted, "It's quite the rush. This is why I try to limit myself slightly. Just to remain in control rather than the other way around. Magic; it is alive, a living being with a bit of will of its own. It's not got a real preference for good or bad, but it likes to be free, to be unchained as it were."

"That is an interesting insight into the very nature of magic, Harry. I must insist that you put this down on paper at some point, Harry. You could give so much to the community with such information," the teacher said earnestly.

"I'll think about that one, sir. For now- if I may. It's been a ... strange day."

"Go, enjoy some time to yourself, your friends should be back in about two hours I think."

-OOo-

Harry slunk into the common room almost silently. It was then he heard the muffled crying coming from one of the couches near the blazing fire.

Harry crept around and saw something that made his heart hurt.

Hermione sat curled against the back of the couch, a pillow pressed against her face and crying her eyes out.

For a moment, he dithered. Crying girls were not his specialty. Lately it was the horny variety he seemed to deal with. Either that or the crazy ones. However, this was Hermione. He had to do SOMETHING.

He sat down carefully, and pretty much man handled her into a tight hug.

She stiffened at first then melted against him. The pillow was still muffling her tears. He stroked her hair and just held her, not really knowing what to say or do other than just be there for her.

After a short while, the tears subsided into little hiccups and then they too went away.

A pair of puffy brown eyes angled up to him and the pillow slipped away. Harry held her gaze with a compassionate one of his own. For a long time neither said anything, just looking at each other.

"Thank you," she said eventually. "I'm sorry you saw that."

"He's a git." Harry said, "Want me to beat him up for you?" He added jokingly.

It got a slight laugh out of her. "He'd squash you and you know it," she told him.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Harry told her. "For you, I'd do it."

She smiled at him softly. "You've always been here for me, Harry. Thank you. It was obviously just not meant to be with me and Ron."

"He's blind and stupid." Harry commented with a little heat. Then he calmed down, "He'll come around."

"He's with Lavender now."

"It won't last."

"What makes you say that?" She inquired.

He looked at her steadily for a moment, "I know Lavender." He said simply.

"It's true then. I thought she was just boasting to her friend." Hermione said with a slight sigh of disapproval.

Harry narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I heard her and Parvati talking late one night. She had, just got in and Parv wanted to know where she had been. They thought everyone else was asleep."

"Interesting." Harry said coolly.

"Have I said something I shouldn't?" She asked, and then frowned, "And I thought YOU had better taste."

"She wasn't so bad. Then she turned into a nutter." Harry felt the need to say.

"I heard you got up to all sorts." Hermione said disapprovingly.

"She's got a big fucking mouth."

"Don't swear." She shot back.

"It was a thing... It went away," he said finally.

"Hmm," Hermione hummed thinking hard.

"But, it's true. It will not last. I personally think you and Ron should be together."

"Why? I mean he obviously doesn't fancy me any."

"That... isn't true."

She looked at him appraisingly. "Am I attractive, Harry?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Don't just say what you think I want to hear Harry," she complained.

"I'm not," he told her. "I think you're one of the best looking girls in school."

She gave him another steady look. "Am I not desirable then?"

Harry quirked a grin at her. "What, with that much lace?" he asked.

She smiled slightly... strangely. "You didn't just guess that did you?" She asked, "Its okay... I don't mind you looking."

Harry looked at her askance.

"Seriously though, don't I have ... it?"

"In droves." Harry said, becoming nervous.

Another long steady look.

"Kiss me," she said.

"What?" he said confused, sure, he had heard her wrong.

"Oh bloody..." then she was on him.

It was... quite obviously the first time Hermione Granger had taken it upon herself to kiss someone in a sexual fashion. Her lips mashed into his and she bowled them both over backwards. Lavender had skill, could do things with her tongue that drove him to boiling point. What Hermione lacked for in technique, she made up for with sheer enthusiasm. In addition, there was a slow burn behind her kiss that stoked something low down in Harry.

His arms curled around her and pulled her close, kissing her back, his tongue flicking over her lips and causing her to moan into his mouth. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand had slipped down and was gradually pulling up her skirt, finally meeting bare flesh.

Hermione felt her world explode; this was better than she had ever dreamed. It was hot, intense and god his hands were on her arse! 'I'm kissing Harry' she thought to herself. 'Oh god he can kiss.' Then, after a moment, a more rational part of her mind piped up. 'You shouldn't be doing this. You are using him, taking advantage of him. It's wrong.'

Harry felt her lips leave his and she sat up, astride him in fact. He looked up at her, his eyes a little wild.

Her face collapsed, "I'm so sorry," she said, diving off him and disappearing before he had a chance to say anything.

"Bugger," he said after a few moments contemplation.

He got up, rearranging himself slightly as he did so. Nevertheless, damn he had been getting into that.

He walked out of the common room in a huff, looking to get a little fresh air. Women were just plain annoying sometimes!

He found himself wandering towards the main quad when suddenly he felt a strong tug on his arm and sudden cloying darkness.

He took stock, "A broom closet. That rather puts Voldemort out of the equation. So mind telling me who the hell just dragged me into a cupboard?"

"Harry..."

Harry almost groaned. "Cho," he said. "Something I can do for you?"

"I... wanted to talk"

"We could've done that outside, away from all the dust." he commented.

"This... is a delicate subject." she replied.

"Don't you think it would be ... awkward if someone saw the head girl coming out of a broom cupboard with me?" he asked.

"I don't care!" she said in a rush.

"Luminous" he intoned, having finally found his wand. 'Oh god... she's crying again. This is just NOT my day!' he decided.

"Harry... Last year... I'm so sorry for how things went with us," she told him.

"Okay, you're forgiven." Harry said.

She cried harder.

Harry looked for divine intervention. None was forth coming. "Look Cho... I'm not sure what to say," he admitted.

"Don't say anything," she told him, then leapt forward and kissed him hard on the lips.

Harry was not enjoying his re-run all that much. The salt, for one, was giving him flash backs. If he could EVER get this girl to stop crying though, she would be a good snog. His arms curled around her though and hands started to wander a bit as she started to get a bit enthusiastic. Pushing him back against the side of the tiny space, they were in. Her hands were now also wandering.

Harry yelped suddenly.

Cho giggled.

'Cho Chang is groping me.' he thought to himself. 'That's one for the books'

Then she burst into tears again.

Finally, he decided that he had enough of that. "Look, Cho. It's not me... It's you... no that's not what I meant to say," he added as she began to wail. "This isn't going to work," he said, removing her hand. He fumbled for his dropped wand, getting an eyeful of a good pair of legs in the process. "I should just go."

"Please... I'll do anything you want." she begged.

'But can you stop fucking crying?' Harry mentally asked.

She took his pause as an affirmative, grabbed his hand and put it on her breast.

'Okay now I have Cho Chang the Head Girls tit in my hand.' Harry thought becoming more amused than aroused.

"I'm yours Harry, for whatever you want."

'God that's tempting.'

"Urm... I will think about it okay Cho. I don't think it's a good idea for you to rush into something like this."

She responded by pressing into him. Harry's hand dropped to her thigh; apparently, his hands had their own ideas. He suddenly realized with slight surprise that he was caressing her breast as well. "You're saying no... But your body is saying yes." she purred.

'If it wasn't for the tears...' he told himself.

He quickly but gently pushed her away. "Just think before you leap, Cho. That is all I am saying. I am not the same Harry that went out with you last year. Things have happened since then. I have changed. I've..." he quirked a grin, "Learned things."

"I've learned some things too," she promised him, "Want me to show you."

"Tempting Cho... But you're still leaking tears," he said, a little shortly. "You're saying yes. But your body is saying no," he shot back at her.

The tears kept on coming.

Harry left.

-oOo-

Harry lent back against the wall several corridors and five floors away from the Head Girl. It had occurred to him recently that he had had a willing, if somewhat leaking, beautiful girl in a private place all but begging him for some fun times. Yet, he had said no. He was asking himself why, or, more precisely, his libido was giving him a hard time while his mind tried to explain.

His mind was loosing. He was seriously debating going and finding the hot Oriental girl when his mind took control and forced him outside.

He looked around, breathing in a lungful of fresh air, took a few running steps and changed. Wind flowed around his aerodynamic body and fire lit inside him. Pure fire, pure freedom, away from the small problems of humans. He was a law unto himself, he was Dragon. More... He was a Black. King Dragon, virtually a god to others of his kind. The troubles of a mere human were briefly left behind as he soared through the air at just under the speed of sound. He turned his nose to the sky and his wings beat. Magic pulsed and whirled around him, giving him the lift his physical wings could never hope to achieve. Somewhat like a bumblebee, his wings were just not big enough to give him enough lift to take flight. Yet, also just like the bumblebee, he did it anyway. The Laws of Physics were of men, he was Dragon.

The atmosphere thinned around him and the clouds were behind him. The sun burned in the sky as it gradually changed colours from blue, to midnight blue and finally to black.

He hung on the very edge of space. Then a giant gout of fire leapt from his muzzle.

A mere scant moment later, the air around him filled with whispers on the non-existent wind. Fellow dragons were responding to their king. Cries of welcome came from the eldest, surprise from the younger. Cries of mating from some and demands from others. The Black Dragon silenced them all with another giant flame.

For a few minutes, The Black Dragon held sway over Harry, but then finally he regained more control. Then eventually he was almost in two minds.

After an hour of meditation, he was one with himself. A wing gracefully angled outwards and the elegant, powerful frame of the Black dragon began its descent back to earth. The surrounding area clashed as he broke the sound barrier with little to no effort, his downwards momentum building as soon as gravity took a hold of him again.

The entire of Europe appear with worrying speed. Then the UK itself hurtled towards him as he crashed through Mach 1 and kept getting faster'. Scotland focused in a rush, and then the highlands appeared to be the only thing he could see. A loch, then a castle, then the expanse of Hogwarts grounds and the nearby Hogsmeade came into view. Suddenly he was tree height and a pair of powerful wings flashed out. His drop ended with eight feet to spare.

Several of his classmates dropped to the floor as the wind exploded out from under his wings. None of them were directly under him, thankfully for them. A flap or two later and Dragon Harry was sat on the gates of Hogwarts, the inner gates that was.

Flaming green eyes watched his fellows walk back to the school on schedule. No one could see him, of course. What was the point of being a magical creature without some magical goings on after all?

Ron and Lavender appeared beneath his taloned feet. Holding each other and snogging in a slightly gross manner. Harry's fangs appeared and he took a breath. It would be so simple to char grill them from up here. Nothing terminal, just a scare to get them the idea quick and to show them his displeasure with them. The more human part of him argued for their continued safety though, so they passed unmolested and unruffled… other than the ruffling they had been doing to each other.

'Hope you enjoy it while it lasts, mate' Harry thought to himself, watching them go with a twist of his reptilian neck, the long limb allowing him a degree of sight even owls struggled for.

Another tempting target appeared. Draco was out on a date with Pansy... How- gross. The thought of him procreating was entirely unpleasant. Yet again, they got a pass from the human side of the argument, though it was a close run thing, mostly because Harry did not want to hurt Pansy. She was mostly innocent of Draco's crimes. Mostly, at least.

Then the last one to arrive was, surprisingly enough, Luna Lovegood. She was an interesting girl, that one. Harry was studying her when he suddenly realized she had stopped dead and was studying him right back.

Luna looked around and gave herself a slight shake and then back up to the massive dragon no one else could see. This was not that a totally unknown occasion to her. She knew if she said anything though people would just call her loony and send her on her way. Nevertheless, this- This was something else.

"You're a Black," she said finally.

Harry looked at her askance. 'How the hell...'

"You're a myth. You don't exist," said the girl of Crumple Headed whatever fame, the mistress of the unheard of.

"I do." Harry said, amazed that he was speaking English. His voice, though, was something else. It was deep, rich and powerful. Tiny puffs of flame erupted from his nose as he worked his inhuman tongue around the alien language. "I'm sitting here, aren't I?" he asked.

"You can't be real. I'll have to talk to Madam Pomphrey about my medication again."

"Not this time, Luna" Harry said, a beat of his wings and he ... carefully... landed next to her, still causing her to stumble somewhat.

"I've read about you. About the Blacks, I mean. Funny, you have green eyes the same shade as- Harry?"

"You're quite something else, Luna," Harry said with a baritone chuckle that shook the nearby windows.

"Amazing." She said.

"Just keep it to yourself."

"Who the fuck would believe me?" She asked.

"Luna?" He said in surprise.

She smiled impishly at him and then tilted her head from side to side. "You're gorgeous."

"You're not too shabby yourself."

"Can you see through my clothing today, Harry, or was that a one off?" she asked with a tiny smirk.

"Not right now I can't." He told her honestly. Luckily, Dragons did NOT blush.

"Can I ride you?" she asked unexpectedly.

Okay so now his mind was flying all round the place. "When you're older," he said without thinking.

Her smile turned quite sexy. "I'll hold you to that. It isn't, however, what I meant."

"Urm... Sorry. I do not think that is a good idea. I'm not the sort of dragon that can give out rides."

"Why is that? Sometimes the magical fair has dragon rides if you can afford it. I've always wanted a go."

"I move a little fast. Tell you what, though, I'll get someone else to do it," he said, thinking that someone he 'commanded' could probably do it. He would ask Thisilar but he was in fact chained to a door right at that moment. However, not for much longer if he had a say in it. The dragon was his... friend.

"Shame. I'll settle for the other ride after Christmas, though," she told him flirtatiously.

"I'm thinking the pleasure would be mine."

"Selfish in bed, Harry?" She asked.

Harry laughed, which had the unfortunate side effect of roasting a nearby tree, "Whoops," he said.

"I think you'd better turn back and come inside before you burn the castle to the ground."

"I'm not going back in there. It's... scary."

Luna tittered slightly, "What do you mean?"

"I've had a very ... Odd day."

"Oh, I know all about those," she told him.

"So far today I've been kissed by... three girls with varying degrees of success. I've killed five men, I've saved someone from rape and, oh, by the way, I can turn into a bloody dragon."

Luna sighed, "Poor old you. It's all happening, isn't it?"

"By the way... Ginny is one of the girls that have kissed me today. What's up with that?"

"I can't say." Luna demurred.

"Fair enough, I suppose. Can you get her to lay off, do you think? She's like a little sister or something."

"I don't think I could do that. I don't think anyone could."

"Huh," Harry said, sitting down and in doing so morphed in rapid succession back into his human body. He sat Indian style. "Cor. It's bloody cold out here init."

Luna laughed, "You've just noticed that? It's coming up to winter in Scotland, so it tends to get a bit nippy."

"Normally I've got my coat on and Dragon skin is kind of tough. Plus, you know, internal heating arrangement."

She smiled at him. Then she studied him for a long moment. Causing him to study her right back. "What?" Harry asked eventually.

"It's just amazing," Luna said after a moments thought. "You've changed a lot this year. Not to mention being able to turn into a dragon."

Harry laughed, "I suppose I have rather." He looked at her steadily, "You're a bit different yourself you know."

"How is that?"

"You're being more... lucid than normal."

"I'm a little stunned you realize" she hedged.

"Oh..." Harry said a light bulb going off over his head.

"What?" she asked carefully.

"It's a bit of a protective mechanism isn't it? The whole 'out there' persona. I like it by the way, but something tells me that it's not the real you." Harry told her, smiling charmingly. Charmingly enough that Luna's heart was hammering a little, and she did not take offence at his words either.

She did not really reply to that. Until finally she said, "I think since I know one of your secrets... That you can know one of mine." she began slowly, "I'm not well liked in my house. I have never have been well liked. After my mother died, I went a little... strange for a while. I have gotten better since. Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is that no one takes me seriously as Looney. It is useful to me. I can see things other people do not. Just because I put people off their guard like that and I like that I do. I think though, that you can know Luna. If you want to?"

Harry smiled at her, "I think I'd like that."

She smiled at him and the two sat in companionable silence for a long moment. "Are you serious about giving me a ... ride?" Luna asked after a long moment, her eyes dancing.

Harry smirked slightly; he was not entirely sure which one she meant. "I think it can be arranged," he said finally. Knowing that would answer either version of that question.

She laughed, "I've always liked you, you know."

Harry looked a little surprised by that.

"You just don't realize the effect you have on those around you do you? Even before, you figured out the 'loony' persona. You always treated me with respect. I like that. It's a little unusual."

Harry smiled, "I'm not as most people think either," he told her.

"That much is obvious. I think, perhaps, that you are much more than you seem." Luna said.

"You should go in." Harry said after a long moment.

Luna nodded, and laughed, "Just remember Harry. I expect a Christmas Present" she said, then pecked him on the lips and virtually skipped away.

Harry once again looked skywards. It was getting dark now. Soon the day would finally be over and perhaps tomorrow would be less weird. However, since he was due to visit HQ he somehow doubted that.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Narcissa Black glanced at the clock and once again checked herself in the mirror. He was due soon. God she could not get over it. She was crushing on him; there was no other way of putting it. As if she were some damsel in distress going gooey eyed over her saviour, she, Narcissa Black, a woman of 35, was getting all silly over a boy, no man, young enough to be her son. Hell, he was the same age as her son!

She let out a small sigh, and caught herself checking her hair and make up out again.

Things had been strained so far, so it would be nice to see a friendly face. Everyone had been polite to her for sure. It was as though they were expecting her to suddenly whip out a black cloak, face mask, and send AK's flying all over the place though.

She could not blame them, she supposed. She had been married to one of the inner circle after all. It was difficult to believe that she herself had not been tainted by the evil that surrounded her. Perhaps she had in some ways; the living incarnate of evil had touched her, not so long ago. She was not talking LeStrange, either. The Dark Lord himself had kissed her hand. She still remembered the feel of his cold flesh on her own, thin chilled lips on her hand. She shivered. She had had about twenty baths after that just as soon as the nasty bastard had left her home.

God how she hated the fact her husband had let that ... thing into their home. To mingle with her son, god he had been so in awe of the Dark Lord. She had known then that she was fighting a loosing battle though. She had not given up, but the realization had been bitter. It was a terrible thing for a mother to suddenly wake up and realize that her offspring was quite possibly going to become evil, serving the very devil himself.

She pursed her lips in the mirror, her eyes suddenly sparkling slightly. Her eyes lidded and she shot the mirror a heated gaze. Yes... perhaps she still had 'it'. Would she really use it on a sixteen year old, though? That was the question of the hour. She still remembered the feel of his hand when he had touched her. Such an interesting sensation, like fire, that sang to her magic in some undefined way.

She got up from her vanity table and walked across the room, her heels clicking on the hard wood floor as she did so. She stood before the full-length mirror on her enlarged cupboard, currently virtually empty. Her hands traced a firm body. Thank god for the properties of magic and what it did to the aging process. Though at 35 she was not about to suddenly start sagging even in the Muggle world, even she knew that. Nevertheless, she was as pert as a twenty year old and firm bodied her breasts still proud on her body and her skin still as tight.

She pulled up her long skirts and adjusted her stockings, making sure the old world items of underwear were in order, more for something to do than anything else. The magical world had not really discovered the world of tights, not for her generation at least, which she was glad of, they looked... restrictive to her.

She turned her leg this way and that, wondering if a certain someone was a legman or a breast man. She hoped for the leg, because as pert as her breasts may have been, she was not going to win any competitions with them. They were of a modest size after all; breast men seemed to like them sizable. Her sister was of bigger bust than she was and had always been more popular. She ran a hand down her leg one last time and let her skirt drop, standing and just looking at herself critically for a moment.

'Oh, who am I kidding,' she decided finally. Her shoulders sagging slightly

Then, the doorbell went off. She could not hear that from her position virtually at the top of her house. However, she COULD hear her mothers' wailing voice. A sure sign someone, most likely the person at the door, had woken the old bat.

She forced herself to move with elegance and not just make a run for the door. It was likely she would get there first anyway. Moody was off stumping around somewhere in the basement, her watcher, and boy had he watched her. That magical roving eye of his seemed to peer into her soul, though strangely he was one of the few that were- less strained with her. Perhaps it really could see into her.

'Oh Merlin, what if it can see through things too,' she suddenly thought.

She was right in the end. She was the first to arrive at the door, but Alastor was just 'there' suddenly as she opened it. She would give him one thing; he was preternaturally good at his job, apart from the slight blemish of being conked by Crouch Junior, of course.

She smiled her best smile when the door showed the dark haired star of some... interesting dreams. "Harry I'm so glad you dropped by," she said, standing back from the door to allow him entrance.

"Do shut up, you old bat." he said, making her blink.

Then she realized he was addressing her mother's portrait rather than her. She let out a tiny breath of relief. To her amazement, however, her mother shut up. She turned to look at it in surprise.

Mrs. Black was glaring mutely out of her frame.

"Thank Merlin for that." Moody said. "Hello boy," he said.

Harry was about to reply when he had to duck past a sudden beam of light. His wand was in his hand in a flash and he threw up a shield that included Cissy, but he then glared at Moody.

"Good lad. CONSTANT VIGILLANCE"

Harry refused to jump at the sudden increase in volume.

"Snape has been going on about you, boy. Had to see for myself"

Harry just looked at him steadily, his wand not wavering in the least. Moody smiled which by itself was a horrifying sight, then nodded and put his wand away.

Harry continued to look at him, starting to make the old Auror slightly uncomfortable, which, considering he had faced some of the worst the world had to offer, was some accomplishment.

"I'm done, seriously."

"So pleased to see you again, Cissy, Professor Moody" Harry said eventually, his wand still handy.

"Alastor Moody!" Cissy said turning on the Auror with fire in her light eyes.

"Sorry Cissy, just had to see" Moody said, looking almost sheepish.

Harry smirked slightly. "Is it safe?"

"Now that I won't tell ya"

Harry laughed. "Next time I retaliate," he told the man.

"Enough of the silliness," Cissy said, taking Harry's arm and guiding him into the house proper. "I do believe we'll find some tea, unless Alastor has drunk it all," she said, looking at the man in question.

Moody held up his hands and backed away, "Plenty left for our young hero," he said. "I'll leave you two to it," he added and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

"That's cool," Harry noted. "Wonder if I can get him to teach me that."

"I doubt it. He likes his little tricks." Cissy said with a light expression. "Come Harry; let me serve you some tea"

"There's no need. I can serve myself, Cissy."

"I wouldn't hear of it, not after all you have done for me."

"I didn't do anything."

"Harry, you saved me from something every woman fears," she said, looking at him seriously. "I owe you a good deal more than a cup of tea served by my hand. I'd be your willing slave if you so wish it."

Libido melt down!

Harry swallowed hard, "I don't want a slave, willing or otherwise." He said finally.

Cissy had a slight smile on her face, reading quite well, where Harry's mind had just gone. She moved up close, using 'holding his arm' as an excuse. "Come, Harry," she said, her voice a virtual purr.

'She keeps talking like that I just might.'

"Here sit," she said as they reached the kitchen. She arranged the tea service and made sure that she moved to his side and very closely to him as she poured, allowing him to literally feel her presence.

Harry shifted slightly. A big part of him was screaming something, something primal and powerful. A fire lit in his belly and his eyes were flashing emerald fire that had little to do with anger.

Then she moved out of his personal space and sat opposite to him. Her legs crossed under the table, running up his leg in the process, "Oh... I'm so sorry." She said with a little smile, acting as if she had not done it on purpose.

"So... How are you feeling, Cissy?" He asked after a sip of tea to get his head straight.

"Well, thanks to you."

"Anyone would've done it," he brushed it away.

"I don't think so, but I like your humble attitude. I just wish I remembered HOW you did it."

"Why are you so sure it WAS me?" Harry asked, diverting her.

"I just know," she tapped her chest, "here."

'God she's hot.'

"I can't tell you how," he said after a moment, "You wouldn't believe me even if I did."

"I just wish you'd gotten that monster LeStrange."

"I will make it my personal mission to hunt him down," he said in a serious voice.

"If you did that, I don't think I could come up with someway to properly repay you. He is blight on humanity, as you said, a mad dog. He turned my sister into a monster as well and that, more than stripping me down, is forgivable."

"He's the one that did that?" Harry said, his eyes virtually glowing in anger.

"He wasn't alone. It was a ... group affair."

"It was monstrous. Such beauty should be cherished, not abused." Harry said forcefully.

"You think I'm beautiful?" She asked coyly.

"Cissy, you're a goddess." He said without art.

"Thank you. After that mob, it's good to hear a real man say such things."

Harry blushed slightly. "The ones that escaped will pay in time," he promised. "No one hurts the House without payment extracted in blood." He vowed.

Cissy was slightly taken aback by that and the way he said it. There was something amazingly primal about his tone and stance at that moment. She felt herself flush slightly, in many ways and it caused her to re-cross her legs, causing Harry to jerk in his chair. "Again... sorry."

"That's fine, Cissy." He said with a smile.

"Really, so if I did it again?" She asked, running her foot up his leg, looking him in the eyes.

He gulped. He looked at her with hunger, though.

He gave himself a slight shake, "You don't have to repay me in any way, Cissy." He said firmly, moving backwards out of her reach.

She smiled at him, "What if I want to?"

"I think, at this moment in time, you can't be thinking clearly." He said gently.

"Am I too old, unattractive to you?" She asked a little hurt.

"Quite the opposite, I find you extremely attractive. It would be... dishonourable to take advantage of the weakness you are currently exhibiting. No matter how much I want to," his eyes were a slow burn of passion.

"I won't give up," she told him. "I won't change my mind either."

"We'll see." Harry said carefully. "For now, why don't we enjoy some tea? I have to be going soon anyway. A woman as beautiful as you deserves much time spent on her," he said in a purr. Then shook himself.

She laughed, "You want me, Harry, and I can see it."

"I've said as much. Wanting and Taking are two different things. To take you would make me no better than LeStrange."

She blanched at that and then pulled herself together, "You must think terribly of me."

"Not at all," Harry said, "I've learned recently that... women under emotional stress do some damn odd things." He said, reverting to a young man, rather than the powerful being he was showing before.

Cissy blinked, and then burst into laughter, "Sounds like a story."

Harry flashed a grin, "Let's just say the last few days have been eventful."

Cissy became serious; "Tell me about them," She said, "Perhaps I can help you in this way."

Harry laughed, "Okay, why not. I was seeing this girl for a while. She wanted to keep things casual, as she put it. A couple of weeks went by with things going well..."

"You were ... intimate with this girl."

"Not to the extent that you are alluding to." He said, "But more intimate than perhaps we should've been."

"What happened?" She asked, pushing aside the desire to see what he had picked up from his experimentations with the little tart. 'Oh Cissy get a grip,' she told herself when she caught that thought. She was actually jealous of a teenage girl. At least she assumed she was a teenager. "She was a classmate yes?"

"Fellow Griff, yeah, anyway I was explaining the properties of Gongari Clay as Professor McGonagall had left the room. We were using it to find our forms."

"Really? What's yours?"

"Jaguar," he told her, 'among others' he added.

"Why am I not surprised? Go on."

"Well Parvati asked about it, something I can't remember, which prompted me to do a sculpture of her. Thing is Lavender was also talking to me about it, but my most intense memories of her are of a private nature."

'Little bitch', "Go on. Wait. Are Parvati and Lavender friends, Is Parvati attractive?"

"Yes and very much so."

"I see, go on."

"Later that night she cornered me"

"Lavender?"

"Yeah, she was angry about something and we had a massive fight. During which she accuses me of trying to crack on to Parv. I wasn't but there you go."

"Crack On?"

"Urm- chat her up."

"Quaint, go on."

"So we have this big blow out, during which she's really laying into me, I point out that she's a bit of a flirt as well. That went down like a shit brick. Oh, I'm sorry."

Cissy laughed, "I've heard that one before and don't worry about swearing in front of me. I think I proved I'm no lady."

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't be treated like one," he pointed out.

Cissy smiled, "Do you want me to jump over the table and take you?"

"Sorry?" He said with a blush.

"Keep saying things like that and I will."

"Is it wrong to tell the truth?"

"No, just the way you say it is utterly charming," she told him, "which could be part of the trouble with Lavender. I take it you flirt quite a bit yourself."

Harry nodded, "Got quite the taste for it lately actually. But it is harmless right? I mean it's not grounds for a tongue lashing."

She smiled at him, "My darling you have a lot to learn. But continue; I will point out the error of your ways, have no fear."

Harry looked confused, but carried on. "Then she actually has the nerve to turn around and announce she has a date! I mean, she's been carrying on at me for looking at her friend funny then, BANG, she's going out with someone, worst of all, I find out its only bloody Ron."

"Ron Weasley. I am surprised. I had heard that he and... I do not remember her name. My son merely called her the Mudblood. Granger, I know that much." She knew of course, she was testing the limits of his patience really, but also the reaction to that word.

"He would." Harry said, "Hermione, and yeah, I thought so too, but I'm just getting to her. She is part of the weirdness. So I warn Lav off, because I don't want her getting in the middle of Ron and Hermione. That does not go down well at all. At one point, she slapped me. Tried to twice"

"Tried?"

"I stopped her. I ... dislike being hit."

Cissy looked at him a long time. "I know the feeling," she said.

They locked eyes and a sense of familiarity passed between them.

"Who?" Harry growled.

"My husband." she told him, she did not dare tell him about Draco. She did not want her son dead. "You?"

"My uncle" Harry said, then shook himself. "I have to admit I hurt her slightly, but it's kind of hard not to when you're stopping an incoming ballistic arm."

"I understand. I don't take you for a girlfriend beater, but she made you angry, yes?"

"Very," he replied. "It was all I could do not to blast her through the wall. I promised myself when I ... dealt with my uncle that no one would hit me again. So far she's the second girl to give me a wallop."

"Who is the other?"

"Tonks, but I did overstep the mark there. Anyway, where was I?"

"She slapped you, she told you about Ron, and you tried to stop her, which was unbelievably stupid by the way. Tell a woman NOT to do something and she'll do it to spite you."

"Damn, really?" Harry asked shaking his head. Then smirked, "Don't stop propositioning me."

Cissy smiled, "Okay, I won't"

"Your kind is confusing and strange," Harry said eventually.

"My kind?" she asked.

"Women, we're not the same race. This I realize now. Homo sapiens are only one branch, but there is also Femineus Sapiens, a very separate race. More advanced possibly and certainly infinitely more attractive, alluring but none the less alien."

Cissy laughed, "You're getting there, Harry, but you still have along way to go. So... what happened next?"

"Basically she buggered off, the next few days leading to the week end were ... chilly and strained. Then she went on her date with Ron."

"So what else happened?"

"Well first there was Ginny."

"The youngest Weasley caused quite a stir actually. The first female Weasley in quite some generations"

"That sort of news is important."

"You'll take offence at this, but if the Weasley's were not so poor and ... Muggle friendly, they would be a desirable match to any pure blood. They have an unbroken line for several generations and any woman could be married off to purify ones own line. The fact her father couldn't afford a dowry would make her significantly less desirable though."

"That's ... wrong somehow. You know by the laws of genetics, Purebloods will die out soon, or breed out the ability to reproduce at all. Birth defects should be starting soon."

"They already have, Harry. Draco isn't the only son I bore to Lucius."

"Oh god no"

She nodded her head, "He would've but he died shortly after child birth."

"That's terrible. On many levels"

"But proves your point quite nicely"

"Neatly perhaps, nicely most certainly not, I'm so very sorry."

"It was quite some time ago. I have done my grieving. Go on with your story as to how Ginny fits into this"

"This is where things REALLY get odd." Harry said focusing back on the recent past. "She attacked me in the hallway yesterday morning."

"Attacked? Physically"

"After a fashion, she rammed me against a wall and snogged my brains out until I realized what was happening and pulled her off of myself."

Cissy laughed slightly, "Was it that bad?"

"If it wasn't for that fact she's like my kid sister, then I wouldn't have stopped her."

"Ahh I begin to see. Go on."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Not yet. Go on."

"Then it was you." he said simply. "I'd just escaped Ginny, by the way, I will admit running away like a big ... girl and then I got your ... call. That was a strange experience, but a good one since we got you free and all."

"Perhaps I should hold back on helping you until you tell me what happened."

Harry's face got shadowed, "I'd rather not talk about that."

Cissy looked at him for a moment, "Very well. So next thing?"

"You may have noticed that Tonks has been acting kind of strange around me," he said carefully.

"I may have noticed something like that."

"She's a weird one, that one," he said simply. "Keeps blowing hot and cold on me, one minute I think she's interested and the next I find out she's dating Bill. There is just no way I would even flirt with her if I had known. The Weasley's have been too good to me to chance me upsetting one of them." He said with a shrug, "Besides I LIKE Bill; he's cool."

"I have yet to meet him."

"Strange thing though... He was going out with Fleur."

"Delacour, the French champion?" She asked.

"Uh huh."

"Perhaps he got bored. Tonks is nothing else if quite the personality."

"How does one get bored of a Veela?"

"She's Veela?" Cissy asked in surprise.

"One quarter, I think."

"Merlin how did they slip that past the minister, the ministry and the Pureblood society are hugely xenophobic, a 'tainted' cross breed girl would NOT be welcome usually in such an important occasion."

"Don't ever say those words again in front of me, Ms. Black," Harry said in a low voice. "She's a good person once you get past her being French. Brave too."

"I was merely quoting, they are not my personal beliefs, Harry, I promise you."

"Okay, Cissy, I just don't like those words, or Mudblood, so don't think you slipped that one by me either. I told Hermione the other day that they were just words, it is the intent behind them that sucks, but truly, they are bad words. Racist crap like that doesn't belong in polite society worth a damn, just like when that big lug called Parv... okay going off track."

"There's more story here." Cissy said, "What are you holding back, Harry?"

"I may have seen Lav and Parv out of school over the holidays when I, on a whim, went clubbing."

"I'm not sure what that is, is it like a dance?"

"Sort of, more grinding and drinking than real dancing." Harry said.

"Did you grind Parvati?"

"Lavender too, they both kissed me quite a bit that night, which is another reason I don't get where she got off telling me off for looking at Parv funny, when she'd seen me up close and personal with my hand on her thigh and tongue in her mouth. At her bloody insistence."

"Strange... Not the jealousy that becomes clearer, strange that you were out when you are so... protected."

"Stifled is the word I'd use."

"So, Ginny kissed you, you ran, saved me and then..."

"Okay, so I get back to the common room and find Hermione crying."

"Merlin, I do believe I know what's coming."

"If you're so clever do go on." Harry said with a smirk, not thinking she would get it in a million years.

"Okay... She sought and received confirmation that she is attractive, which, no doubt, you did in your usual charming manner. She possibly asked if she was desirable, at which point you said yes again in the most artless way possible. She would then, I think, kiss you."

Harry blinked, "This is scary, go on."

"I have a feeling you reciprocated quite enthusiastically, perhaps lost yourselves for a moment. Then one of you came to your senses and realized that you were kissing your best friend."

"She did, but I was quite happily kissing my best friend."

Cissy chuckled slightly, "I have heard she is VERY intelligent. I would imagine that she at some point realized that she was using you to confirm to herself that she IS in fact desirable and attractive plus whatever else she needed to find out. So she got scared and ran off."

"Bloody hell"

Cissy smiled, "You did nothing wrong there, Harry, that I promise you. If YOU had broken the kiss, it would have made her think she was not desirable. It was better for her to stop herself. She will hate herself for a while, but soon come to her senses. She may be a little skittish around you for a while though."

"I'm not used to girls being able to think when I'm kissing them," he said, not realizing that he sounded somewhat arrogant.

"Full of yourself, aren't we?"

"Am I?" he asked.

"Prove your claim" Cissy said with a mocking smile.

"You're trying to trip me up again, aren't you?"

"No, actually at this point I think you're being an arrogant little shit."

Harry's eyes flashed. "Fine"

Inwardly cackling, she rounded the table and looked down at him. "Move back then," she said.

Harry scooted back. Then she sat across his lap, "Well?" she said

Then he kissed her.

She was not sure how much later but she came back to herself with his hand halfway up her dress and feeling one hundred percent aroused. Where his hand lay, her skin was on fire and it was spreading around her system, giving her a painfully hard nipple erection and getting her going on just about every level possible. Nevertheless, he had stopped damn it!

His eyes were burning into hers and he was looking more than a little stoked himself. A good-sized erection was pressing into her leg and frankly she was more than little put out he had the self-control to stop. He had not been boasting though, this Granger girl must have a brain like clockwork to start thinking during THAT experience.

"I think you've proved your point." She breathed, "Are you going to continue?"

"Are you going to get off my lap?"

"Are you going to stop playing with my stocking tops?" She shot back with a pout.

"I should," he said, and then more firmly, "I will. As I said before..."

"Too noble for you own good, Harry. Let this be a lesson to you, young man and a woman is a manipulative thing when you are keeping something from them that they want," she told him, sliding off his lap with exaggerated care, her hand trailing across his chest as she did so. She stood beside him and smirked. "Harry..."

"Hmmm?"

"Your hand?"

"Oh shit... bugger, oh ... Drat," he removed his hand and she felt the loss intensely. I was as if someone had put out a nearby fire or something, the warmth leeching away into the cold of the kitchen.

She sashayed back to her seat, crossing her legs with a haunting smile on her face. "So who was next?"

"Who what when?"

"Your story?"

"What story?" Harry said, still looking a little fuzzy. He gave himself a shake and then his eyes cleared a little, though a good dose of lust was still present. 'I just snogged Draco's mum,' he thought to himself with no small amount of humour. 'Damn, I just snogged her and DAMN it was good,' he added. 'She's got better legs than Lav and I finally get why stockings are sexy.'

"Harry?" Cissy prompted, mentally scoring one on her side of her imaginary scoreboard.

"Right, story... Let me see. Oh, did you hear about Cho Chang?"

"Current Head girl"

"Yeah I went out with her last year for a little while, but she's all screwed up about Cedric. I mean, I am too, we should NEVER have tried going out. She really just wanted to resurrect Cedric through me. All she ever did was cry, even when we kissed, she bloody well cried."

"Oh dear, poor girl, but no man likes that sort of thing."

"Exactly, Only trouble is last year I was ... softer than I am now."

"You certainly felt pretty hard to me," she said with a saucy smile.

Harry blinked, "So I'm walking away from one mess when another suddenly drags me into a bloody broom cupboard. I'm in a broom storage device so frankly I wasn't worried that Voldemort was there, unless there's something I should know about him?" He added with a smirk.

"He does have quite a few people spending a worrying amount of time on their knees before him," she replied.

Harry shivered in revulsion, shortly followed by her. "I wish I hadn't said that."

"I wish you hadn't said that too," he agreed.

"Quick, on with the story while I scrub out my mind."

"Okay so she wants to get back with me, I think. In fact she pretty much offered herself up to me on a platter."

"You didn't take her up on the offer."

"Not even close, though my body was trying to tell me otherwise."

Cissy smirked, "You are a virile young man Harry. Allow yourself some fun."

"It wouldn't be a whole hell of a lot of fun with her leaking all the time. She put my hand on her ... breast and she was STILL crying. I think her valve is broken or something. Either that or it is I. I mean a lot of girls have been acting really odd around me lately."

Cissy chuckled, "Perhaps, anything else."

"I did have a strange conversation with Luna but I can't really talk about the details of that yet," he said. "Sorry. It is not that I do not trust you it is that... We don't trust you fully yet."

"I think you're showing me quite a bit of trust. Any of this information would be useful to V... V... The Dark Lord."

Harry smiled, "Call him Moldy Warts, I find it works for me."

She looked at him stunned for a moment then burst into laughter. "I'll remember to do that," she said through her chuckles.

"So that's about it really. My day of confusion."

"Well that's quite a tale," she said with a smile. "I know several things. You are clueless about women so far; utterly charming without guile, a truly awesome kisser and sexually very active even if you have yet to copulate."

"I pretty much knew most of that. I was hoping for an insight into the female mind here."

"Well, Lavender is easy to work out. Despite her own looks, and I am thinking she is very attractive; she is insecure and believes her friend to be more attractive than she is. She saw how much you enjoyed yourself with her before and has likely been worried that you will want to do it again. The statue was just justification to her. I doubt she had in fact said yes to your friend at the time she confronted you, though. When things turned uglier, she upped the stakes considerably, which was silly of her, as you do not mess with friendships that will explode in your face. True for men, but strangely not so true for women, I think at their hearts, all women see each other as competition, or at the very least someone to measure yourself against."

"Interesting, please go on. I am learning more in this discussion than a lifetime of trail and error. But let me ask you, should I be mad at Lavender?"

"That is entirely up to you. I am sure she does not want your pity, though, and that is what you are feeling currently, I am sure. It is not that unusual for a young woman to feel thus. Tell me, have you ever stated a preference in front of her."

"I don't HAVE a preference. I just like women."

"Darling, you've only had girls. When I finally get my claws into you, then you will have a woman," she said sultrily.

"You're a devil woman. Now stop trying to drive me even nuttier and keep going."

"Hermione, as I said, was straight forward. She needed confirmation and you gave it to her. Bravo, well done. I warn you though that things could be rocky for a while. If your friend Ron ever finds out, fireworks will fly."

"Yeah, figured that one out"

"I suggest he doesn't."

"Can you imagine what will happen if he finds out about Lavender?" Harry asked rhetorically.

"I expect you'll have a fist fight, get roaring drunk, fight some more and wake up friends. Men are such simple creatures."

"I resemble that remark." Harry said with a smirk. "I hope you're right about that, though. I am worried she will say something to him to either hurt him or get back at me. She was plenty mad at me."

"Well, of course. What I would do is seduce Parvati, but I was a Slytherin."

"I was almost sorted there actually."

"That would've driven Severus insane"

"We're actually getting on quite a bit better now." Harry commented, "But please do continue. What The HELL is Cho up to?"

"That's trickier. I suspect she either wants to 'atone' for last year and her using of you. Or she truly wants you."

"She virtually begged me on her knees... If you see what I mean."

"Dear me, what are the standards for Head Girls these days. Was she at least any good?"

"I said almost."

She smirked, "I can slip under the table now and show what it's like if you want?"

Harry swallowed hard, "I'm not without some experience with that subject."

'Lucky Little Bitch!' she thought, "Really, shame, but I doubt you know what it's truly like. It's a subject best learned by doing, the more you do it the better you become," she drawled looking him in the eye. She was becoming more and more brazen, but goddamn it, she wanted him. It was burning at her now. The longer she spent with him, the more she wanted him.

"Perhaps" he said, carefully crossing his legs and wincing slightly as he did so.

Cissy smirked, "Cho is your biggest problem for now. Lavender, I suspect, will cause problems down the line. Hermione and you are too good of friends to let this ruin that, from what I understand and they way your talk about her at least."

"What should I do about Cho?"

"Honestly, do you ... fancy her?"

"Physically, very much so"

"Mentally"

"She's intelligent, so yes."

"Emotionally"

"Not in the least."

"You have two options, then." Cissy said carefully. "One, you are young, you want her. Have her... Enjoy each other for a while and split up. Two, you tell her a straight no. I am guessing you did not do that in the first place, you would be too worried about hurting her or something equally as ridiculously noble. Without realizing that, you are only making it worse in the end. A typical Gryffindor trait, avoid the pain in the short run, make it worse by not thinking it through."

"Part of me... A recent addition to my psyche, likes option one. The rest of me is horrified by it. Currently we're tied," he admitted.

"Interesting." Cissy said, "I have to admit I'm slight put out by that answer."

"You're different, Cissy. Even I know the emotional ... whirl pool you are in after your near miss. As much as I WANT to take you up on your offer, and god do I want it," he paused, recollecting his thoughts, "I just can't do that to you right now. I need to be sure your head is in the right place before I could take you seriously."

'The right place for my head is in your lap darling' is what she wanted to say, but she had to admit he might have a point.

"Honour is important to me, strangely doing... Option one with Cho does not bother me though. I think because, in truth, she has already used me for her own means and, frankly, might be trying to again. Only this time I'll be the one in control of the situation." He sighed, "It's the possible fall out from Lavender that worries me. I think if I did as you suggest, I could REALLY make things worse, not that I think I could knowingly go out and seduce anyone."

"Trust me, my darling, you could... With my help." she said.

"Your help?" Harry said sounding interested despite himself.

Cissy smiled, inwardly.

-oOo-

The next few weeks ambled past for Harry and he found that Cissy was right in her predictions. Hermione WAS skittish around him, until he had cornered her and they had talked. Lavender and Ron continued to go out, being somewhat public in their displays of affection until McGonagall herself had taken them to one side and told them to quit it or else Ron would loose his captaincy.

No snog was worth that to Ron. He had not stopped but at least it was not constantly in Hermione's face anymore. Harry had helped her through that all by being honest with her, giving her confirmation of her attractiveness, though they didn't confirm that fact physically, mores the pity as far as Harry was concerned.

His 'lessons' with Cissy continued unabated and she continued n private to pursue him in her own way. He constantly and gently rebutted her.

A couple of things became known though.

On one visit to the HQ to see Cissy, he had stumbled across Bill and Tonks making out like crazy, who had hit him hard for some reason. He had thought she liked him, but apparently, she preferred Bill.

This was fine, except the next week, he did the same thing, only this time it was Bill and Fleur.

This PISSED HIM OFF, but he had nothing he could do about it.

Eventually he asked Cissy what to do. She had told him to leave well alone, partially because he did not want to hurt a Weasley, though it had come close lately with Ron with Lav and now Bill with his philandering ways. In addition, because it was a hot kettle that he did not want to spill all over himself, besides it was not as if he was not having his own problems. Cho was becoming more than slightly insistent, not to mention annoying. He still could not quite bring himself to tell her to piss off, though. To be frank, he was getting seriously horny and had a willing 'subject' at hand.

It was one quiet Saturday afternoon while everyone was at Hogsmeade when things came to a head.

"Harry, I've been looking for you everywhere." Cho said, catching up to him in an empty hallway.

Harry let out a breath, about to turn her down flat. When he turned around and saw her.

Her long black hair was running down her back, the sunlight back lighting her so her figure was showing through the quite short dress she was wearing. A pair of clunky looking heels turned her legs into a wet dream and she was looking at him intensely. "What can I do for you, Cho?"

She looked around, pulling him into an empty classroom. She performed several locking and silencing charms on the door and turned to face him. "You don't believe me, do you," she said seemingly unexpectedly.

"Believe you?" He asked, eying her body hungrily. Something was calling out to him and it was getting louder, a need to do something. It was frankly the call of the wild. It was getting harder and harder to ignore too. A part of him was feral, part Dragon and, more recently, part big cat. A heady combination was screwing with his mental processes quite a bit lately. Therefore, Option 1 was looking pretty damn tasty right now. Especially with that much of her athletic body showing. It may be shallow, but damn it he was a teenager he was supposed to be shallow!

"Believe that I'll do anything you want," she said, taking a step towards him. The clunk of her heel unnaturally loud in his ears, her presence was filling his senses, smell, auditory, sight and taste. The whole shebang was crashing down on him. Pushing nobility to one side and speaking one word endlessly. Take, take, and take. 'Fucking hell,' he suddenly realized, 'I'm in heat or something!'

"Let me prove it to you Harry, give me a chance."

"Cho, you don't know what you're getting into. Run while you can," he warned her, his voice a good octave deeper than normal.

"I know the dangers that surround you, Harry. Better than most, I would say. I do not care about that. Let me make you happy Harry."

"What is it you want from me, Cho?" He asked, steadying himself on the table, gripping the top hard.

"Whatever you want to give," she said. A step closer she came.

His eyes traced the movement of her leg and ran it up her body. 'Oh god, she is virtually naked.' he thought to himself. "Aren't you cold?" he found himself asking.

She shook her head, "Actually I'm feeling VERY warm right now, Harry..." she stepped into his personal space, "How are you feeling Harry?" She asked, reaching down to his crotch. She smiled, "I'd say you're feeling pretty hard right now."

"Last warning, Cho, I'm not who I used to be. The danger you need to worry about is from me, not around me." He said, shaking slightly.

"You're shaking, Harry. Just let go, enjoy Me.," she offered. "What do you want me to do for you?"

Harry's eyes flashed emerald fire. He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her in close, "How far are you willing to go, Cho?" He said in a low, almost sibilant, voice.

"You're hurting me Harry... I think I like it." She said, her pupils dilating.

"What is it you're willing to do?" He demanded in that same tone.

Cho rubbed his cock through his trousers again, "I'll do that," she said breathing hard.

"Cho, I can touch myself."

She took his spare hand and held it to her breast, "You can touch these." She said arching her back so her small but firm breast was thrust into his hand, a hard nub of flesh more than apparent to his touch.

"This isn't the first time I've touched a tit. Do better."

She slid his hand down with a challenge in her expression. His hand floated down her body and between her thighs. "You can touch this," she said then gasped as he did so. His fingers sliding her underwear to one side and breaching her core. "Oh," she said in surprise and she shuddered slightly, "Oh yes, Harry Yes!" she said thrusting her hips rhythmically.

"It's a nice pussy, Cho, but not the first time I've done this either."

"Who?" she asked.

"None of yours, Cho We're not going out or anything you know."

"What else did she do for you?" she asked, "What can I that will please you?"

"Explain why you're so damn interested in pleasing me for starters." Harry purred as he worked his finger deeper inside of her.

Her eyelids fluttered slightly.

"Stay with me, Cho, or I'll stop."

"No," she said snapping too the real world.

"Why are you so interested in making me happy?"

"Because I owe you," she said simply.

"That's what I thought-" he said looking at her intently. "You owe me nothing, Cho. I hereby free you from any obligation you feel you have towards me."

"Oh god, please don't stop," she pleaded, her hand resting on his shoulder to brace herself. Their eyes met and Harry smiled slightly.

Then he kissed her hard and passionately. She moaned into his mouth, as he did not stop what he was doing to her now very moist pussy. She ached for a better angle, eventually resting her leg on a nearby desk. Luckily, with her heels she was just the right height to do so.

Harry stopped.

"No," she said pitifully.

Harry smiled at her and slithered down her body, kissing her breasts as he did so, gently biting her hard nipples in the process. She yelped in pleasure as he did so, but looked at him curiously, "What are you do- oh god."

Harry's tongue flicked out rhythmically as he held her apart with his fingers, then he sucked her clitoris and sent her into a screaming orgasm. That was how wound up she had been. He did not stop though, his hands holding her thighs now. He let his power flow a little and she groaned incoherently at him.

In truth, this was an experiment for him. He knew his touch did something that girls liked and he knew it was his magic doing it. He just wanted to know what happened if he jacked it up a little.

Cho rocketed through another orgasm that made her knees buckle from under her. Harry caught her just in time and laid her out on the teacher's desk. He pushed up her dress and looked her over. "Take this off," he said.

It took her a moment to get back to him on that, but she did comply, her entire body was firing off sparks of spasmodic pleasure and making it hard to think clearly enough to do, as he wanted. Harry lifted his hands off her flesh and she cleared up immediately, but moaned pitifully.

He watched the dress being removed and her full naked, athletic glory was revealed to his hungry gaze. He reached out and caressed her breasts, tweaking her nipples and making her cry out in pleasure as he was still pumping out the power. He ran his hands all over her body, drinking her in, cupping her, tweaking her and caressing her skin from every angle. His lips fastened around her dark nipples and followed her movement as she virtually dropped back on to the desk, a sigh of pleasure falling from her lips, before they drifted downwards, nipping and licking his way down her creamy colored skin.

By this point, Cho was on a different planet, her hands grasping his hair and guiding him to where she really wanted his tongue.

He granted her request as he met her lips, he amped up the power a little more and she exploded against him. Her body showing it was more than ready for entry, only he held himself back from going that extra step, even though he was certain Cho would welcome it by this point. He just was not sure he wanted his first to be with Cho-Hosepipe-Chang, but he needed some form of release that was for sure. First, though, he had an experiment to complete.

Cho blacked out around orgasm six, so he let his power fade and enervated her. "Cho?" He asked.

She gave him a glassy eyed stare. "I think it's your turn," he said simply.

She promptly fainted again.

Harry groaned, "Well this sucks," he commented. Waking her again, "Get dressed, Cho" he said, realizing he was not going to get anywhere now. His experiment had been... fruitful, if somewhat frustrating for him personally. Cho, on the other hand, was just about as satiated as she could handle.

"Now you owe me one, Cho," he said before he sent her on her way.

"Anything you want, Harry," she said with a silly grin on her face and stumbled away.

Harry gently head butted the wall.

"Can I do that for you, Potter?" A snaky voice called out from behind him. He glanced at his watch, damn had it been that long already?

"Daphne?" He asked, looking around at her in surprise. "Some reason you want to put my head through the wall?" He asked mildly. 'Damn she looks hot even in jeans'

"I know it was you," she snarled. "I can't prove it yet, but I know!" She said stepping up in his face, which, considering she was several inches shorter than he was, normally just went to show how high her heels obviously were.

"What was me?" He asked cautiously.

"That stunt at the start of term. I know it was you."

"What gives you that impression?" He asked mildly.

"No one else could've pulled it off and gotten away with it," she told him.

"Well, if you're going to use logic like that..." he said sarcastically.

"Watch yourself, Potter," she said, virtually snarling in his face.

He had just about had enough of good-looking women, so he did something quite strange. He grabbed her and planted one on her but good. She fought him for a moment, then moaned into his mouth and returned the kiss wrapping herself around him.

"Oi! Greengrass, what the hell?" Came a familiar snide voice.

'Bollocks, enough already!' Harry begged the stars, or, rather, the roof.

"Sorry," Daphne whispered.

Harry frowned slightly.

"HOW DARE YOU!" She screeched and, WHAM, left a stinging handprint on his cheek.

The air crackled but strangely, Harry was starting to get used to this. Daphne backed off quickly. "Don't do it again," she said somewhat weakly as stinging retorts went she had already said it all.

She gathered Draco in her wake and his goons followed. Harry thumped his head back against the wall. "This is NOT my day... Again!" He lamented, though he had just brought the Head Girl off on a teachers desk about 5 times, so it was not all bad he supposed.

Of course, he was suffering from a serious case of blue balls.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Harry slunk into the HQ of the Order of the Phoenix, feeling rather sorry for him self. It was Sunday and he had yet to see Cho. According to one Ravenclaw he had overheard, she had been asleep since the evening before. They were just about ready to send for the nurse by time Harry had left for the HQ.

He was still unsure if he should be proud or pissed off about that.

He hoped he had not hurt her or something, though. He had kept a tight leash on the amount of magic that flowed out of him, but perhaps it had been too much. Was there a limit on the amount of orgasms a girl could have safely? However, the multiple orgasms thing just seemed bloody unfair to Harry.

Just then, once he had silenced the hag on the wall once more, he heard ... sniffling.

He traced the sound to its source, upstairs a flight and through his old door. This was actually 'his' room while he was at the HQ overnight, supposedly reserved for him. The door was locked, but he made short work of that and the intruder ward, putting them back once he had passed.

On his bed was a blonde goddess. This was a dream he had had actually, but she had not been crying at the time. She had been waiting for him in very little clothing and greeted him with a steamy kiss.

Of course, this was the real world Fleur and sounded like someone had broken her heart, not his vivid imagination at work. He stepped further into the room, "Fleur?" he said softly.

Another crying woman, what would it be this time? A kiss or another slap?

"'Arry?" she said, and sniffed. Strangely, though she had obviously been crying for some time, her eyes were still luminous and not a mark marred her perfect skin. Her almost white blonde hair was as always perfect, the only thing wrong was the look behind her eyes. She looked ... stunned.

"Fleur," he repeated. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, 'Arry, please I want to be alone."

"I don't think anyone really ever wants to be alone," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yet it is often how we end up, non?"

"What's wrong?" He asked again, just as softly.

"Oh 'Arry, you would not understand." she said tearfully.

'How can she look that hot while crying?' He wondered. "Try me."

"He's a cheating Bastard," she spat. Apparently, her English had improved markedly since last they had spoken. "Merde, I should not be ... Weighing these things on you."

"I don't mind, you're obviously upset about something. Are we talking about Bill here?"

"Who else?" She asked snappishly.

"I don't know, Fleur, that's why I asked."

"Oui, desole 'arry. I am how do you say... overwrought. I did not mean to be snapping at you."

"It's okay." He laughed slightly, "I'm getting used to being snapped at by beautiful women."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, "I sense... a story 'ere"

"You don't want to know about my messed up love life. How about we talk about yours- Oh bugger, sorry, Fleur, that came out wrong."

She laughed slightly and smiled weakly at him, "Merci, Mon Ami"

"What for?" He asked.

"For making me laugh"

They sat silently for a while, "Bill's an idiot." Harry said finally, "But gitishness seems to be flowing through the family right now."

Fleur narrowed her attractive countenance at him. "You already knew," she said clearly and with little hint of an accent.

"Know what? I was talking about Ron being a git." He said quickly. Too quickly

"'Ow long?" She demanded to know.

"I don't know what you mean, Fleur"

"Oui, you do. I can see it in your eyes 'arry, you are a foul liar."

Harry looked away.

"You didn't tell me!" She said, anger building in her tone. "I thought we were... friends at least a little especially after the tournament."

"We are" Harry said softly.

"Then why did you not say anything to me."

"How could I?" he asked, "Honestly, how? I wanted to say something I did. But how could I be a true friend to both. You are my friend Fleur but the Weasley's as a family have saved my SOUL," he said looking at her with emotion leaking from his eyes.

She met his glare. "I comprehend." she said, "I do not like it, but I comprehend."

"Thank you, Fleur."

"Who is it?"

"I can't tell you that, Fleur," he said with a defeated sigh.

"Oui, you can." she said, her eyes flashing.

'My god, how could he give this up, even for Tonks?' Harry wondered.

"'Arry? I am waiting"

Harry began to get hot under the collar and a swimming sensation entered his mind. His shields snapped into place and his natural pigheadedness went into high gear. "Cut that out, Fleur," he snapped.

She blinked at him in surprise.

"You're alluring enough without the Veela whammy to go with it. You also will not trick me into telling you. You will have to find out for yourself. You are a very intelligent woman. I KNOW you'll figure this out."

She looked at him steadily for a long moment, "A clue?" she asked.

Harry shook his head, "Same quandary as before, I'm afraid."

"It has to be a member of 'is team or the order." she deduced.

Harry remained motionless.

"The question is, I suppose, who could compete with a Veela?" She said sinking back against the headboard, which had the unfortunate effect of putting her body on display. It did not help that her dress had ridden up somewhat to show an expanse of thigh. So far, Harry had been able to ignore that, until that movement. 'God my life is one big tease at the moment.' he decided removing his gaze from the smooth skin on display. 'I wonder if Cho will be up for some head tonight?'

"There are few who could compete on looks alone. Is this not true?" She asked.

"Yes Fleur you ARE gorgeous."

"I know that, 'arry, I wasn't looking for... how'd you say someone to tell me. But Merci for the thought"

"Shy little thing, aren't you." he commented.

She chuckled slightly. "Veela are very skilled in the bedroom," she said.

"Really," Harry said with a gulp. 'We're in a bedroom,' he thought to himself.

"Oui, we have much... control over certain things."

Her eyes flashed, "But not as much as some. She is not as attractive as me?" she asked.

"Modest to boot"

"Answer me please."

"I don't think many are, Fleur"

"The one with the pink 'air, she had been making with the cow eyes at Bill for sometime. She is a Metamorphmagus is she not? Tonka, Wonka or something."

Harry remained silent.

"Wonks, non, Tonks!" Fleur said, "This is the petite sallop that has taken my man." She shot upright, "I will kill 'er"

"Fleur... calm down. You cannot kill anyone; you will be thrown in Azkaban. Besides, no offence, but she's an Auror."

"Non, it cannot be not you as well! She has cast enchantments on you both."

"What?"

"You... urh... Fancy 'er too."

"I did." Harry admitted, "I've kind of gone off her of late."

Fleur nodded sharply, "As it should be. She is not worthy of your attention, you are a champion. A hero"

"Fleur, not to make you angry or anything, but Tonks is an alright sort of person. Do you think she knew?"

"What?" She snapped, "What?" she said softer.

"Just a theory," he said quickly.

She looked at him piercingly, "You are once again with the mistruths," she said. "I know you are. You have told me something you feel you shouldn't and now you are peddling backwards."

"Back Peddling."

"Pfft!" she said with Gaelic expressionism. "It is unimportant; do not try to take me off the rails."

"Derail."

"'Arry!" she said warningly.

Harry smiled charmingly, "Look Fleur..."

"That is indeed a charming smile, My Champion, but I have seen many charming smiles." she cut him off, "I wish to see truth."

Harry ducked his head, "The Weasley's have been good to me Fleur."

"Have I not?"

"We don't talk often, Fleur," he said.

"That shall change. Nevertheless, I still intend to get to the base of this 'ere problem."

"Bottom"

"Excuse 'em, moi?" she said with a slight smile.

Harry blushed, "To get to the Bottom of the problem."

"I need not English lessons this moment." she snapped, "I need a friend."

Harry looked at her steadily. "Perhaps I am not the best choice for that right now."

A tear leaked out of the corner of her eyes, "Please 'Arry" she said in a tone of voice that stoked his fire while at the same time broke off a chunk of his heart.

"He's a git, alright."

"Oui, a git of big embellishments"

"I don't want to know about Bill's embellishments, big or otherwise." he cracked wise.

Fleur chuckled slightly as she got the pun. People often took her accent and miss wording to mean she was much simpler than she in fact was. It was no mean feat, normally, to become a school champion. She just could not quite crack English. She slid forward on the bed and sat next to him.

"I won't tell a soul about this discussion," she told him. "That way you can stay true to both sides of your conundrum."

Harry quirked a grin, "How come you can use words like that when Bottom eludes you?" He asked.

Fleur laughed gaily, her hair floating around her head in a blonde cloud. "You make me laugh, 'arry. I need that."

"Anytime."

"Am I not beautiful?" She asked sounding a lot less sure than earlier.

"Fleur you are without doubt the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Don't forget, I'm surrounded by knock outs on a regular basis, so that IS saying something."

She smiled at him, and then promptly kissed him. It started as an innocent peck, but quickly built into something steamy.

Harry did not stop the kiss, Fleur did; she looked at him from a few inches a way, "Not a leetle boy now," she said huskily.

"No, I'm not." he agreed.

"I want very much to take you."

Harry looked at her in surprise.

"Your nobility will be fighting my decision. Do not let it. I need to be… to feel feminine, as my friend, will you do this thing I ask?"

"You could have anyone, why me?" He asked

"Because you are you," she replied.

"I probably shouldn't," he said with a sigh.

"I ask this favour of you, I will promise to return the favour in some way and this WILL be the night of your life. I can do things no one knows about. These and more I wish to show you this night."

"Why?"

"You are there for me, and I feel a ... strong desire to do so. It calls to me, here," she said touching herself and she was not touching her heart.

Harry breathed in heavily. This just was not fair. A beat and then...

'Oh bugger nobility,' he thought and pressed his lips slowly to the French beauty's soft mouth.

She responded in kind, her supple lips seeming to mould to his perfectly. Her slender but firm body pushing against his, His hand did its usual and glided up her skirt making contact with the soft flesh of her thigh and softly caressing her there. Something felt slightly off though. He pulled back and looked down.

She smirked, "They are natural color... The winter, I do not like it on my skin, so I cover it up."

Harry looked at her quizzically, she moved his hand further up her thigh and realization blossomed in his eyes, "Bloody hell."

"You like?" She asked with a coy smile filled with promise.

"I've recently become fond of them," he admitted.

"I should be insanely jealous of this other woman, non?" She asked jokingly, "I can tell from your kissing that you 'ave been practicing lately."

Harry smiled slightly, "Off and on."

"They are lucky girls, but tonight... I will be the lucky one, non?"

"I think it's me that's getting lucky... Oh, that didn't come out right."

Fleur giggled at him in a most enticing way, which was strange because normally he found it slightly annoying. "Ahh, you hands are magnifique," she said with a sigh as he touched her skin above the lace of her stockings. She swayed slightly as he just ran his hand up and down the top of her slender but shapely thigh. "Oui, you will indeed be getting very lucky this night," she said after a moment, licking her lips slowly and giving him a hot look. "Now... let me show you a true French kiss," she said with a hint of the devil in her eye.

"Weren't we just doing that?" he asked.

"A little, give me your tongue."

"What just stick it out?"

"A little," she told him. Harry did as he was asked and then he felt another tongue sliding around his own. He moved closer to get proper 'closure' but she kept her distance. Her tongue gliding around his, he repeated her movements and she purred in the back of her throat. It was strangely exciting actually. Then she finally made contact with her lips, their tongues deeply entwined together. The heat between them rose dramatically and she pushed off his heavy coat. Her nimble fingers setting to work on his shirt

He started to respond but she broke away, "Non, I want your 'ands were they are. In fact, let the other be on my 'uzzer leg." she asked, "Your touch, it is like fire. It is making me wet."

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "I will show you," she said, using one of his hands to touch her pussy and pulling it out from under her dress and holding it between them. "See," she said, licking his fingers clean. "Hmmm, I taste good." She said.

Harry repeated her actions, taking a taste for himself, "Better than good, amazing. Like pure lust," he said.

"You smooth talker," she purred, "Now hands back in place, please," she said, once he did as asked she worked his buttons again. Her eyes heavily lidded and lips pouting and kiss swollen. "Hmm, nice" she said once she had his shirt off. "I like a man that takes care of 'is body. Now let me show you 'ow I take care of your body."

She pushed him backwards, his hands sliding to hold her pert backside in his grip. He squeezed a little causing her to smile, "You like my ass, non?"

"Like the rest of you, it's amazing," he whispered.

"Perhaps one time I let you take me there."

Harry blinked at her, "What?" he said.

"Ahh dear sweet 'Arry, I 'ave much to show you." she said, her lips kissing him on the chest between words. She kissed around his chin and then on his mouth with stoked fire.

His flame lit. The dragon awoke. Magic hummed on his skin and Fleur began to moan as he pulled the tiny g-string that she was wearing off with a sharp tug.

"Oh," she said in surprise, "My, you are stronger than you look," she told him, kissing him again, and her tongue tangling with his and her hands trailing on his chest.

She suddenly stopped and Harry groaned pitifully. 'No!' he thought to himself, then, 'YES!' he added when her dress flew over her head and floated away. "Dear god in heaven," he breathed.

She put her hands into her hair striking a pose for him, thrusting out her modest but perfect breasts, each tipped with a rock hard nipple. "You like what you see, 'Arry darling?"

Harry was just about able to nod, his hands gliding across her body towards her chest. "Oui, touch them. Oh, Mon deu," she suddenly said as Harry's hands actually began to glow as his lust overreached his control. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she bit her lip. "I feel it, your magic... It is pushing into my body," she breathed in a husky voice. "More, 'Arry, more"

More came and she writhed around on top of him, her hips bucking against his still clothed shaft, dry humping him in to a frenzy. She let her arms drop and put them flat on his chest, working her hips harder and looking at him with a somewhat wild-eyed gaze, her pupils seeming to fill her beautiful blue irises. "Oh, more, oh yes," she screamed.

'Thank god I included a silence charm.' He thought briefly before he was swept away in the tide of their shared passion. "I am going to fuck you stupid, 'arry. Fuck you so hard, so long with my pussy," she chanted.

Dirty talk was new to Harry, but he LIKED it.

"You want to fuck my tight little pussy, non?" She asked, her lip curling upwards.

"Oh god, yes"

"Is this your first?" She asked, fighting his belt buckle.

"Oui," he said then blinked, "I mean yes."

"This is good. That I can be your first, the first is immortal, special. I will make this special for you, 'arry, I will make this memorable."

"It already is," he told her.

"Lift your arse,"

"What?"

"Lift, so I can get this fucking clothing off," she told him, her eyes a little crazy.

He did as he was asked ... okay told. He was not complaining, though, as he had the hottest woman in the world about to ride him. He was not ready to complain about anything. It was the work of a few seconds to strip him down, and then she actually growled at him. "Oh baby," she purred, taking a hold of his shaft and jerking him off with quick sure movements.

Harry's head swam, then he felt her move and, bang, he could not think. Her talented mouth worked over his shaft, her lips splayed around him as her tongue flicked, and then she moved up and down a bit before taking him into the heat of her mouth. Her head bobbed a bit and she sank down.

Harry gripped the sheets to either side of him in sudden fear of loosing control. 'Dear god in heaven, she's taken it all' he managed before she sucked hard all the way back up, coming off with a wet pop.

"Fuck" Harry breathed.

She said something in French that was rude, exciting and more than a little naughty. He was SO glad at least one of his donor's spoke the language, but he had no wish to know which right then.

He responded in kind and in the same language.

"Fantastique!" She said. "You have a talented tongue to speak my language. 'Ow about you put it to more interesting tasks?" She said shifting round so her pussy was over his face.

He felt his mouth go dry. She even had a beautiful pussy. "We do like a mirror." she told him.

"What?"

"You do me well and I will do the same back," she explained shortly, looking intently at his rock hard cock.

"Fine by me, luv" he said, moving his head and attacking her pussy with gusto.

"Oh, oh, oh" she chanted but then realized she was not holding up her end of the bargain. She licked her lips, spat on his cock and sucked hard, working around him with professional ease.

Harry almost forgot what he was doing but realized if he did that, his fun would end, so he redoubled his efforts.

Somehow, Fleur managed to increase her rate of suction. Harry was sure his brain was heading south and would be shortly removed, but he did his British best and pushed his tongue into her incredibly hot core. Her slick lips slid aside easily and her hips bucked against his face. He pushed deeper, as deep as he could before removing his tongue and basically kissing her.

Fleur groaned deep in her throat, but since she had a mouthful of Harry at that moment, she was not able to articulate just how happy she was with him, so she showed him, her hand playing with his balls as she blew his brains out. His hips moved against her and she gagged slightly but kept up the pressure and, thusly, his pleasure.

His tongue flicked her clitoris and she shuddered slightly. His hands grabbed her arse and pulled down, holding her in place as he French kissed her to the best of his ability, pure need driving his movements and knowledge guiding him. Magic flared in his hands again and Fleur shuddered again. She once again intensified her suction. Frankly he had no idea how she was doing it. She had not taken a breath in a while either. Her head moved systemically and the occasional wet noise came from where they met. Every sound, taste and sight was driving Harry crazy with desire. He held onto a thread of rational thought merely to make sure he kept control over his reaction and tease the lithe French woman as she pleasured him.

It was getting close though. Harder to maintain control.

He lifted away from her now soaking wet pussy to say, "Fleur," in a somewhat urgent voice.

She replied by making his crown hit the back of her throat and pushing.

An intense feeling of pleasure shot through Harry and he almost lost it there and then. Her head changed angle and she worked the entire length of him with long slow sucks.

His eyes crossed by this point and the only thing he could concentrate on was above him, dripping in desire for him of all people. He licked her from top to bottom, playing with her clitoris before sucking on it and amping up his magic, thinking he could bring her off and get her to let off at the same time.

He brought her off and she just sucked all the harder for it. Harry's hips bucked, hitting the back of her throat again and he just lost control. She pulled back a bit and felt him shoot into the back of her throat. She took it all greedily, purring like a kitten as she did so.

Harry's head dropped back down to the bed, his eyes glazed over slightly.

Fleur shifted round to look up at him, her virtually naked body covered in a light sheen of sweat. She pulled off his softening dick with another wet pop. "You taste so good," she purred. "And made me cum so hard," she said in a sexy tone. "And that was just the beginning."

Harry's eyes shot open. "Erh, Fleur, you'll have to give me a minute."

"Now iz the time to show you something no Metamorph can do," she said with a nasty smile before she then kissed the end of his cock. Something cool ran down it and it jerked back to attention. "Bet you didn't know I could do that," she purred, kissing his shaft with feather light kisses. Harry was breathing hard and very, very hard.

Fleur moved and swung one leg over him, holding herself above his cock. "Do you want me, 'arry"

"More than anything."

"I know what you are, 'Arry. I see it in your eyes. I don't care, in fact it makes me wetter for you," she told him. "Can I fuck you, my lord?"

"Oh god, yes, please," he said, not even noticing the word 'lord'.

"You wish is my command," she said her voice smoky and slowly met his up thrusting cock. His crown just parting her labia as she stilled her movement through force of will, rubbing him up and down her inner lips. She sighed and her hair hung down her back as she looked up eyes fluttering closed as she sank slowly down his length. She let out a slight gasp with each inch taken and a moan as they met bodily.

Harry also let out a sound that was part pleasure, part pure desire. His hands found their way to her hips and held them and her in place. "It's like a wet furnace," he whispered.

"You did that to me, 'arry. It is you that makes me so damp. So 'ot," she said shivering with pent up desire. She swung her hips around in a circle.

"Oh my god!" Harry breathed.

She shifted around again, thrusting forward as she moved to the back, pushing him deep inside of her body. "Oh," she said suddenly as he hit something she was not expecting. She said something in a language that Harry did not understand, almost bird like in fact and suddenly she got a lot tighter, clamping him in a silken vice.

"Oh fuck," Harry wheezed out.

She gripped him and pulled up, letting him slide agonizingly slowly through her velveteen grip, her wetness allowing him to slide slowly in the tight grip she had him in. "We," she said and panted slightly, "Normally," she said pausing again as she pushed slowly back down, "Save this... Ahh... for 'ze bonded."

Harry was shivering, his every muscle misfiring in pleasure.

"But," she purred, moving down to kiss him softly, "I knew you could 'andle it."

"I'm not so sure about that Flu...hhhh yes," Harry tried to respond.

She worked her hips in a circular movement, a wet noise coming from their joining. "I'm not sure I can 'andle zis," she breathed. "Give me your magic 'ands, 'arry," she begged.

Harry concentrated for a moment and magic flowed into his palms, creating a soft glow.

"Oh Mon ..." Whatever else she said was lost in a long drawn out moan of ecstasy. "More give me more," she begged.

Harry focused his entire will on her, "I'm not sure that's safe."

"I'm not fully human, 'arry. I can take it. Pleeeaaasssseee"

Harry let a little more power flow. Minuscule when compared to what he had available, but still at least double what he had hit Cho with. Fleur's vaginal muscles fluttered around his cock, sending him into cloud cuckoo land for a moment, when he came back she was still climaxing around his cock, her throat open in a full out cry of bliss.

She looked amazingly erotic her head thrown back, looking seriously mussed. Her body covered in a sheen of sweat and breasts straining upwards, her pelvis still working him in small circles. He pulled in his power. "No..." she begged, looking at him wildly. "More, again."

"Ok, just one more time- for now. This could be dangerous," Harry said somewhat lucidly, though it was like swimming through mud to be so.

Fleur smiled beatifically and worked him with her muscles as a white wave slammed through her again, and again, and again. AND again. Her body was shaking like mad by this point but she held on, not letting her lover loose out. "Enough," she breathed.

Harry immediately pulled in his power.

"Mon Dieu, 'Arry. You do not realize what you have," she told him. "I've never cum so 'ard."

"I've never been so 'ard- hard," he said.

"I did zis," she said self-affirming. "I alone did zis."

"Yeah baby, all you."

"What's the pink haired ones name again?"

"Who... Ohh Urm, thingy yeah know who you-oh fuck-mean. Urm I honestly have no clue right now. Please don't stop."

A slightly evil but self-satisfied smile appeared on her face. "As it should be, 'arry. You can 'ave any woman you like but promise me you won't 'ave her."

Harry's eyes snapped open, "That's sneaky," he replied, with a smile.

She pursed her lips and shrugged setting her breasts jiggling slightly. "Promise me this, 'arry and I will fulfil your every fantasy. Do every degrading act you wish of me. I will gladly spend the night with as many women as you wish as long as it's not 'er."

"As long as I'm there," he said with a grin, his head dropping back to the bed as she began working him again.

"Anything you want, 'arry. I'll be part of your Harem, but not with 'er."

"This has really got you where it hurts, hasn't it?" he said, his mind on autopilot.

She paused and looked at him with hooded eyes. "If not for you... I fear for what would 'ave 'append this night."

Harry looked at her seriously, stopping her movement with his hands on her hips. "What do you mean?"

"Veela aren't rejected, 'arry. We are the ones that reject. It is alien to our belief system, the very way we are 'ooked up."

"I don't like what I'm hearing, Fleur. He's just one man, you can have anyone."

"Now... I only want you," she said, bracing herself on his chest and starting to move again, this time faster, stronger and with a specific aim in mind. "I want you to cum in me 'arry."

"I... can't" Harry panted.

"Why?"

"Not... ready... for ... kids."

"Zen I won't 'ave one," she told him simply. "I can control zat. A simple task."

Harry struggled for control as her movements became more frenzied. Her breathing became ragged, as did his, as they approached a joint orgasm. Her pussy held him in a slithery grip that teased and pleased. Harry's eyes glazed over but he forced him self to stay looking at her. Blue met green as the two lovers stared into each other's eyes. Breathing sped to heart attack pace, along with the beat. Everything suddenly stopped and they both let out a cry as they came at the same time.

The very house rocked as a backwash of Veela and Harry's power mixed and backwashed in a climatic explosion.

Fleur collapsed against him, still holding him inside of her, breathing hard and looking flushed. For once, her hair was not perfect and she had that 'just truly fucked' glow about her. Harry had, frankly, a silly grin on his face and was staring up at the ceiling in shock, not noticing that the light was swinging from the force of their joint climax and the resulting release of power. In fact, he could not actually see that far at that moment.

Suddenly the door shook. They looked at each other, a little out of it still. Then the hammering continued.

"ALOHAMORA!" a loud voice cried.

"Oh... bugger" Harry said and then clicked his fingers.

Remus Lupin fell into the room and looked around, he, being a werewolf, was the only one that had the sheer brute force to get through to various protections covering the door. Once he had, of course, everyone piled in behind him.

He sniffed and looked around again, his eyes going narrow.

"What is the meaning of 'zis intrusion?" An angry French Veela demanded from the bed. Remus looked over at her suspiciously.

"What are you doing in Harry's room?" He asked.

"Miss Delacour, I do most humbly apologize," Kingsley added.

Snape glared at her, "What was that ruckus a moment ago?"

"I WAS sleeping," she spat, pulling the covers up around her neck.

Remus noticed, however, she kept looking around as if she had lost something. Which, knowing the French, could be anything from her pasties to her panties. Not that he would complain it if was the latter, she was a powerful presence to a werewolf such as he. Especially one that had not been laid in- Oh virtually a lifetime! 'Mind on the job, Remus,' he thought to himself forcefully.

"You mean to tell me you slept through the entire house shaking?" Snape asked in a sardonic drawl.

Remus sniffed again. There were two familiar scents in the room. One was Harry and it was too damn strong to be from the last time he had been here. The second, as aforementioned, he had not smelt personally in a while. It was the distinct zing of some sexual Olympics having taken place in a confined space. Faint memory though it may be, it rather stuck in the mind.

'Was Harry doing the French bird?' He wondered, more power to him if he was, but Bill would be PISSED when he found out, but then he was rather taken with Tonks of late. At least he usually stank of her when Remus visited. Then he also occasionally caught a whiff of Veela on him too. 'What the buggering hell is going on here?'

"The Earth rarely moves for me, it is others that it happens to when I'm around!" She said frostily with a hint of sexual predatory instinct.

Snape snorted a laugh, something that was becoming more commonplace of late. It was as if someone had used some industrial strength dynamite to remove the stick from up his arse. Who, though, Remus had no clue.

'God, please don't tell me Snape is getting some while I've not even had a kiss in the last ten years!' he bemoaned to himself.

"I'm sorry we disturbed you, Fleur," Remus said finally. "We're checking everywhere."

"Very well. Perhaps I could get back to my pussy nap."

Remus gagged on his tongue. "Indeed," he managed after a moment.

With that, they left, repairing the door on the way out.

Fleur gave them a minute to clear off and then said, "'Arry?"

Harry faded into view from near the bathroom. "That was bloody close," he said.

Fleur laughed, "You should be getting back," she told him.

"I'm supposed to be visiting Cissy."

"Pfft, she will wait on you until tomorrow. She is waiting on you quite a bit, I suspect. You are getting the... 'ed from her, non?"

Harry blinked, "Urm... No. Actually she is giving me some lessons."

"Then I must thank her. Your tongue is amazing." Fleur said.

"You have a one track mind, Fleur. She's teaching me about women, a subject I am woefully lacking in."

"With ze prick such as yours, you need not worry about women 'arry"

"Fleur!" Harry said goggling at her.

She shot him a devilish smile, and got out of bed. Since she was still dressed in a pair of stockings and her shoes and sod all else. It had quite the physical effect on him.

She hooded her eyes at his look and then struck a provocative pose. "Perhaps we could make with the sex again?" She asked in a sexually charged purr.

"I'm fairly sure it'll fall off, actually."

"Nonsense 'Arry. I will keep a good HARD grip on it," she said with a sexy wink.

"You're a tease," he told her.

"I'm willing to back up my teasing for you, 'arry," she told him seriously.

"Anyway I should pop outside and come back in go see Cissy."

"She also wants to make the sex with you, 'arry."

"Perhaps Fleur, but I'm not about to take advantage of that situation."

"You took advantage of zis one," she pointed out.

"One, you caught me at a weak moment, two you're irresistible, three you asked as a friend and I couldn't refuse you. Four, it's not quite the same situation."

"Why is zis?" Fleur wanted to know. Harry sensed she was not angry or anything, just curious. "She is very beautiful, non? You want 'er, 'arry. I can tell zis. She certainly wants you. She is attached to the mirror before your every visit. I also as a Veela sense the... Hairy gnomes, I zink the Muggles call them. We of the Veela call them ze- how would you say… Lust smell." she shook her head, "C'est une traduction de merde. But close enough."

Harry looked blank for a moment, "Pheromones."

"See as I said Hairy gnomes."

Harry suppressed a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure I don't put out any actually."

"Merde, why do you zink I was so powerfully attracted to you? It was ze smell; you put it out like a 'harlot, put on le parfume."

"I do?" he asked, surprised.

"It is part of your… nature now, 'arry. Accept it and move on with it."

"Nature."

"Oui, you are not just human now. I know zis. You are draconian."

Harry looked utterly stunned.

"We Veela, 'ave a pact with the dragon kind that goes back-many years. We shared the information between us. Religion and culture. They speak to us and we speak to zem."

"How?"

She hissed at him.

"Yes I know that, but how do you." he replied, not even realizing what he was doing, but then stopped dead and stared at her in shock. "You speak Parseltongue?"

"Oui. All Veela do. Since long ago."

"Boy I wish I'd known that before."

"It is big hush, hush, you must not tell a soul, 'arry."

"You have my word, while in human form," he added, "if you promise to keep what you know to yourself too."

"In human form, Oui."

Harry smiled, that was the best deal he was going to get. "So exactly what do you know?"

"You are ... ze ... Noir, non, Black ... Dragon." She said simply.

Harry looked nervous.

"I felt it as we were joined together. It was... heady."

"Likewise, I assure you." Harry said back, a charming smile in place of his nervous expression.

"Now go... fuck the Cissy."

"Is it me or are you trying to get me to lay Cissy?" He asked bemused.

"It is your nature, 'Arry. Don't you know? Dragons, ze males, they are not ... one at the time... urh... how would you say. Ahh Monogrammed."

Harry laughed slightly.

"Is this not correct?"

"I suspect not. I think you mean monogamous," he supplied.

"Ahh Oui, Oui. Indeed that is the word. So what did I just say?"

"Monogrammed, erh... you get monograms on towels and stuff. Peoples initials marking what is theirs."

"Oh, whoops," she said a tiny shrug and a smile, being utterly irresistible at the same time. "Whatever, though it is true."

"I never knew that."

"Ze males they have a... Harem, the more powerful ze male the bigger the Harem. Being what you are, 'arry, you would be able to have a VERY big one."

Harry blinked back another laugh. "That is a little strange though..."

"It is part of you now, 'arry."

"You don't have a problem with this."

"I meant what I said, 'arry."

"I'm a little fuzzy on the speech stuff during the act, I'll admit. More on the 'wow' than anything else."

"Merci," she said with a hooded look.

"Fleur... do you think you could put some clothes on? You're making it hard- to think," he added the last quickly.

"Is it very 'ard, 'arry?" She asked with a predatory smile.

"Very."

"I could deal with zat before you go..."

Harry smiled but then shook himself, "No, I should really go."

"Go then, fuck the Cissy woman," she said with a smirk.

"I'm pretty much fucked out right now, Fleur."

"Want to bet on zat, 'Arry?" She replied saucily.

"Fleur, for you I'm always ... ready."

She swayed over to him, her every step sexually charged. "Prove your claim, 'arry."

Harry took a pointed look down.

"Ahh. I see." she said with a smile. "Such a shame you must be going..." just then, footsteps sounded outside her door. "Go. I will come visit you at Ze School if I do not see you before. We have much to discuss."

Harry leaned forward and kissed her passionately, then faded out of sight, the feel of his lips on hers stayed with her for quite a while despite the fact he had magic's himself away.

"Magnifique," she exclaimed.

-oOo-

"Where have you been?" Cissy asked as she let Harry in the front door, "You've missed all the excitement."

"Oh? What was that?" Harry asked stepping over the boundary once again.

"Some sort of explosion rocked the house. Everyone thought it was that French girl for a while," she told him, taking his arm and leading him up the stairs. "We'll have to go to my room, there's a meeting in just about every other available space. For some reason Fleur is in your room, hiding away from everything."

"Well, if the place is as crazy as you say, can't really blame her can you, Cissy?"

"No not really," she admitted with a slight smile. "Come on in then," she said, planting herself down on the end of her bed and looking at him curiously.

"Sorry, lost in thought for a moment then."

"Sweet Merlin... It thinks."

"I resemble that remark." he replied.

"So, how goes Option one?"

"I did it in a moment of weakness," he admitted. "She just looked so ... bloody hot."

"Men," she said with a roll of her eyes, 'Lucky cow' she added mentally. She was coming to realize she was taking the place of confidant and advisor in the ways of the female mind to Harry and was worried that was as far as she would get. It was not so bad, but it did lack that sweaty factor she would quite like. Lucius had not touched her in years, thank god, and an affair had been out of the question, for her at least. "Come on, sit down, don't be shy." she sat patting the bed beside her. "This isn't the first time you've been in my room, Harry. I promise I'll only bite if you ask me first," she said playfully.

Harry chuckled and walked with a slight limb to the bed. "Are you alright Harry?"

"Hmmm, what?"

"You're limping."

"Ahh, just over extended myself earlier. Nothing to worry about."

"Want me to kiss it all better," she purred.

"Maybe later," he said with a smirk.

"Okay what happened with The Head Girl?"

"It happened yesterday actually."

"Nothing since?"

"She's been asleep apparently."

"Impressive."

"I didn't get to do much, actually."

"Oh?"

"Well, without getting into any detail, she certainly seemed to enjoy herself, but we didn't reach any... me time."

"Poor boy. I can deal with that for you if you like," she said with a smile.

He shot her a hot look.

Her eyes widened, but unfortunately, he appeared to regain control. "You are awful," he said with a smile.

"I assure you I'm quite good actually."

Harry let that one slide.

"So, you didn't get anything from the arrangement. What did she get?"

"I'm not going into details"

"The least you could do is let me get vicarious fun," she said with a curled lip.

Harry chuffed a laugh, "Okay she... completed a few times as I... partook of her intimates orally," he said flushing slightly.

Cissy felt herself moisten at the thought. "Young, virile and with table manners," she said. "A dream come true- so how many times did she complete."

"About 5, I think."

Narcissa Black blinked in shock. "Pardon?"

"5 or so."

'No wonder she'd been asleep.'

"How did you manage that? Is she perchance very inexperienced? Utterly in lust with you? An army of toys were on hand?"

Harry smirked, "I have a few tricks."

"Such as?"

Harry looked at her for a long moment. "It's a kind of magic," he said with a smile.

"Demonstrate, don't worry you can keep your lips to yourself. Demonstrate the magic?" she asked honestly curious.

"I need skin," he said bluntly.

"You've had your hand up my dress before. You don't have to be shy about that."

"If I remember correctly, I have to reach a fair way up to get to skin," he replied.

Cissy put a hand up her own skirt, stood up and slid a hand down her leg. One pale leg appeared with a pile of dark nylon on her calf. Harry thought it one of the most strangely erotic things he had witnessed... except Fleur full stop.

He blew out a breath, "Blimey."

"There, plenty of skin."

"I'm not sure I should do this."

She waved her wand at the door, it squelched shut and the air seemed to deaden, a sure sign that the room was silenced. "No one will catch us if that's what you're worried about. It will be our little secret. Honestly Harry, what's the big fuss?"

Harry reached out, touched her leg at the calf, and ran it up to her knee.

"Nice hands, but what's the fuhhhhh..." she dropped backwards onto the bed and moaned as Harry hit her with his whammy. "Oh sweet Merlin!" She panted out, her own hands pulling at her breasts with a lot more force that Harry himself would use. Her thighs rubbed together and he smiled slightly as she bit her lip. He amped it up a bit, "Oh merciful God in heaven." she cried out. "Sweet Harry give me more."

He moved his hand up further and did as he was asked. Her back arched and she let out a bird like cry and then a drawn out moan. She held the position for a moment then dropped back to the bed as Harry withdrew his power.

"Cissy?" He asked after a moment.

"Give me a moment, darling," she said in a sexy tone of voice. "That was... amazing," she told him, slowly pushing herself up onto her elbows. "I came," she said in surprise. "HARD."

"I know that Cissy."

"Thank you for that wonderful demonstration. Please feel free to continue," she said.

"I'm leery about doing that too much." He said.

"Does it take much power...? I could feel your magic, it stimulated just about every part of my body all at he same time. Then wham, heaven," she said sitting up slowly.

"You should... put that back on before anyone sees," Harry said looking down.

Cissy nodded, hooked up her dress and smoothed the stocking back up her leg. She was so wowed out that she forgot to try to turn him on with sensual movements, but the effect was the same.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have amazing legs?"

"Why, thank you, Harry," she said, putting a leg out for him to view. "You really like?" She asked in a purr.

Harry nodded and then shook himself. "But you Urm... could you sit down or something. I'm trying to speak and it's hard to think with you doing that."

Cissy laughed but took pity on him. Sitting closely beside him, she could feel his presence beside her intensely and an almost palpable hum of power to him as well. She just had a taste of some of that power and frankly, she was willing to do just about anything for another taste.

"So you put poor Cho out for the count then."

"She was upright when I sent her back to her dorm." Harry said with a shrug. "This is still quite new to me, so I'm only just learning how to control it."

"Dear Merlin, are you really?" She asked in shock.

"I'm still not sure what power is required for what, how much a woman can take before she blacks out. Well, Cho did black out at one stage, actually twice, come to think of it- But she was awake when she walked away, that's for sure."

"Five?"

"Or six."

Cissy breathed deeply for a moment, "I hereby offer myself up for experimentation," she said seriously.

Harry cut her an amused look.

"I'm serious, Harry." She told him.

"What?"

"You need to test your limits, learn to control your power, and to do that you have to experiment. I will keep your secret and I am less likely to black out on you since I have some experience under my belt. I would also suggest you get Cho to do the same. I suspect she would be more than willing. That way you have two to compare against."

"Everyone's trying to build me a Harem lately," he said with an amused sigh.

"Oh really?" She said in interest.

"Never mind. Look, this could be dangerous. What if I give you too much? Is there a limit to the amount of orgasms a woman can take?"

"Normally soreness is a factor there Harry, but with this, that doesn't count, so... the limit would likely depend on the girl, or woman you used it on. I'm pretty sure I could take more than five or six." She had no idea in truth, but she was dying to find out.

"Well, I was also stimulating her orally."

Cissy smiled, "I've told you before... I'm yours anytime, anywhere, anyway."

"I think we've had this discussion."

"It's been nearly a month Harry. I'm fine, I swear. Do not get me wrong, I would still like to see you string up LeStrange and my darling husband come to mention it. Other than that, I'm ready, willing and able."

Harry met her eyes then nodded, "Okay, I believe you."

She smiled. "Then get your damn clothes off."

Harry laughed, "But not tonight. I have to get back."

'Bugger it!' Cissy thought to herself. "Just don't go changing your mind on me, Harry."

"It could be a few days before I get back, you know that right?"

"I know, I know." Cissy said in a huff.

Harry smiled at her, and snaked his hand up her skirt. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she fell backwards, an organism hitting her before she hit the sheets. He did not stop until she blacked out. She was right in the end, she could take more.

-oOo-

"Come on get up already!" Ron said shaking Harry by the shoulder. "We'll miss breakfast else."

"Piss off, Ron" Harry mumbled.

"You used to be the one waking me up mate," Ron said with a grin.

"Ron!"

"Come on, you lazy git"

"Fine! I'm up already."

"Mate you're still dressed. What time did you get in last night?"

"I have no idea," Harry replied honestly.

"I don't know how you manage to get away with it all the time. If I tried, I'd be skinned."

Harry smirked, "Just part of the Magical Me!" He said with a fake Lockhart smile, all teeth and no emotion.

"You start being like that Git and I'll thrash you mate," Ron told him with a chuckle. "Come on, get changed, or grab a shower and get changed. You kind of smell funny mate."

Harry looked nervous but then hid it quickly. "Okay, okay. That is probably a good idea. Must be the coat."

"Try not sleeping in it then, mate. We normal folk have things called Jammie's," he said over enunciated carefully on the last word.

"One, don't call them that. Two, girls really do not think they are sexy. Boxers are best. Three, piss off and get your breakfast so I can have a shower."

"Four," Neville put in poking his head around the dorm room door. "Cho Chang is outside and is asking for you."

Ron made an approving face, "Hot one that, Chang." He said.

'You have no idea mate,' Harry thought to himself, but he could not help the slight scowl of irritation that crossed his expression. She should not be waiting for him outside; it was not as if they were going out or anything. In addition, he was still a little miffed at being left high and dry on Saturday.

"Do me a favour and tell her I'll be down in five- no ten minutes."

"You shouldn't keep a girl like that waiting mate." Ron said sagely.

"You're only saying that because Lav has you pussy whipped."

"Harry!" Ron sputtered. "Take that back!"

Harry held up his hands, "Sorry, Sorry. I am just... in a weird mood today. I really was quite happy asleep."

Ron paused, dragging out his forgiveness, but it was a foregone conclusion. Meanwhile Nev had nipped off to do Harry's favour. "Okay, I'll forgive you this time." Ron said grudgingly. "Don't say it again though, mate."

"Okay mate, I won't" Harry said.

"Besides me and Lav, we're special, you know..."

Harry made a face of distaste. Ron laughed suddenly, "She was telling me you used to crack onto her a fair bit. Is that true?"

Harry's anger roared. "A little perhaps."

"Well, just don't now, hey?"

"Of course not, she's with you now." Harry said, offended at the suggestion.

"I knew I could count on you mate."

"Of course. But Ron- be careful with her alright."

"Careful?"

"Just... watch yourself."

"Okay mate, I always do; you know that."

"I hope so mate. Now bugger off so I can get a private shower for a change."

Ron laughed and walked off.

Harry watched him go and his power flared. 'What the hell is she playing at?' he fumed inwardly. He stripped down to his boxers and walked into the shower room. Fuming the entire time, he had a burning hot shower. He liked the heat these days.

A few minutes, five or so, later he walked out of the shower room rubbing his hair dry with a towel.

"Oh my," a female voice said from the direction of his bed.

Harry froze. Then removed the towel from his eyes, "What on earth are you doing up here, Cho? Do you know the sort of trouble you could get into for this?"

"Of course I do, Harry, I'm head girl after all." Cho said, eyeing him unabashedly.

"How'd you get in anyway?"

"Again... I am head girl. I know all the passwords for the common rooms. I took a guess at which dorm would be yours based on year and position, the bed has your glasses on it. Simple deduction, Harry."

He looked at her askance. "Next question... Why?"

She gave a small shrug. "Well, I feel a little guilty." She admitted, "I've been asleep since Saturday and I realize that I left you... wanting." She told him, leaning back on the bed and letting her robes fall open. She was wearing the same outfit from Saturday. "I know you like this dress, Harry." She said with a coy smile. "How about we skip breakfast?"

"I'm hungry," Harry said simply

"I've got plenty to eat."

"That's what left me high and dry before. I need food," he told her firmly.

She pouted at him, "Come on, Harry, it won't take long."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you," he told her slightly smugly.

She smiled at him widely. "Perhaps you underestimate me?"

"I don't think so Cho. Tonight, then we will talk. Today food and class."

She got a little pissed at that, "Fine. Don't bet on me turning up anywhere to meet you tonight- where did you want to meet again?"

'What the frilly fuck?', "Outside your common room midnight." he told her.

"Okay... This time I'll let you off, Harry."

"Cho... You're not my girlfriend," he told her.

Her face registered hurt for a second and he cursed his new nature. It was at the same time cold, hard and fiery. In a lustful way. It was an odd sort of combination but it left him slightly lacking in woman handling... Other than, the more interesting type at least.

"Not yet," she said finally.

"Not ever. I'm not looking for that sort of relationship Cho."

She studied him, "For what you did to me Saturday, I'll take what you're giving"

He frowned as he watched her leave. This was going to be trouble he could smell it. Considering both his forms had a sense of smell about a thousand times more sensitive than his old purely human senses, he tended to ACTUALLY be able to smell trouble coming now.

He sniffed and then shook his head. 'Damn it but she was turned on, too' he thought to himself in slight surprise. He stalked over to his chest and quickly got into his uniform and threw his robes around him. He hated this uniform these days, it itched and scratched quite unlike his more casual leather clothing, which was smooth, and, thanks to enchantments, cool on his skin.

He made his way down to breakfast quickly after that, he was actually very hungry. This could be explained by the energy, of varying sorts, he had expended the night before. The magic was a trickle, apart form his time with Fleur and oh god was not that a pleasant memory, but he had been on the go for a while.

He quickly sat between his two friends who were still somewhat frosty to each other, though Ron still had no clue as to why Hermione was being so hostile of late. He just responded in kind with some Weasley temper thrown in for the heck of it.

"Morning 'Mione," he said with a pleasant smile.

"Morning Harry," she said smiling back at him.

Harry smiled at her. Breakfast continued in its normal fashion for a while, until she reached across him to grab some bread rolls, which was fine, her female presence caused his own personal beast to clang against the bars he had built up, but fine. Then he felt a hand on his leg and it wandered upwards.

Dean suddenly fell over backwards and the entire table shook as Harry jerked so hard he kicked the table and Deans chair very hard.

Hermione had a secret smile on her face that was part pleased and part amused.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Dean said, luckily laughing.

"Oh shit, Dean I'm so sorry mate."

"What happened, mate?" Ron asked.

'Hermione just felt me up' flashed across his mind. That would go across about as well as pitching a chocolate fireguard to a new business banker. "Spasm. Sciatica or something." He said, feeling his back.

"You know, I learned all about sports therapy last summer, I could help you with any stiffness you might have."

Harry goggled at her.

"What's sports therapy?" Ron asked.

"Like a medi-witch," Harry said before Dean could answer. Dean cut him a funny look that was filled with amusement.

"Figures," Ron said, going back to his fried breakfast.

"So Harry, Miss Zabini is due in today. She couldn't clear up her schedule before, but now she's agreed to come!" Dean said, moving on the topic and talking about something exciting for him. Harry too, though her fee was coming out of his pocket and it was prodigious at that. He did not mind though, it would be worth it to inject some talent back into Wizarding Britain.

"That's really good news, mate. When will she be starting classes, do you know?"

"Not sure, but I hear you've been roped into being her assistant as well."

"Well I won't be able to do much more than lump around clay and mix paint together... Once she tells me how to do it. I have had bugger all luck finding the recipe. Sorry."

"Not a problem mate, I expect it's an artist secret," he said with an exaggerated wink.

Then more bread and accompanying touches.

Dean picked himself off the floor, "Harry!"

Harry laughed nervously, "I'm so sorry mate. I think I need too- run away," he said with a slightly crazed expression. Her hand had wandered a little further this time. Perhaps this was the pheromone stuff, Fleur had been talking about. He pretty much took to his heels out of the breakfast hall.

Draco watched him go and rolled his eyes, "Freak," he said to a chorus of his sycophant's agreement. Tracey Davis, however, was looking at him in a very different light, looking between the spot he had been and her blonde friend.

"What's with the one sided staring contest?" She asked in a low whisper.

Daphne looked guilty all of a sudden. "Daph?" Tracey pressed.

She shook her blonde locks at her raven-haired friend.

"Later?" Tracey asked.

Daph paused then nodded.

Tracey settled down and went back to her breakfast, wondering what the heck was going on now. She would also have to check in on Potter later. He would not know of course, but that was part of the fun... no thrill.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Classes that day were a strange affair for Harry. In between dodging Cho and Hermione's sudden wandering hands affliction, he had not actually had time to study a damn thing. Luckily, he knew just about every subject inside out, thanks to Dumbledore in particular. Now DADA was just wrapping up and it was the one lesson he had been able to relax in, despite dodging curses and hexes, as he was chief demonstration dummy.

He hung back at the end of class, his bag heavy on his shoulder. He watched nervously as Hermione dithered for a moment and then finally left. It was not that unusual for him to stay behind. His next period was a free and he often helped Professor Snape, mostly marking papers, which was boring as hell.

"I don't require you today." Snape said shortly.

Harry looked panicked.

"Whatever is the matter, Potter?"

"Matter, nothing sir," he said innocently as he could. "Could you seal the door, though?"

"Go ahead, I think your charms would be quite strong enough, Harry"

Harry did so under Professor Snape's critical eye. He was granted a short nod, which equated to getting an O for the Professor.

"What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

"I've got a moral dilemma."

"I am NOT the person to be seeking advice on that subject."

"It directly pertains to you sir."

"In what way?"

Harry took a breath, "A scenario for you sir. You find something out about someone, possibly their life's work, something they have worked towards for a long time. You then find a possible solution to that problem they have worked so tirelessly to achieve. Do you spoil their fun and tell them, or do you keep it to yourself?"

"I don't often ask for help personally, I enjoy the challenge, there is however one subject that I am starting to revile. So anything I could find to help me with that would be most gratefully accepted."

"I'll make you a deal, professor. Don't hex my bits off, keep my name out of it and I'll give you that solution."

Snape narrowed his eyes, "What are you blathering about?"

"I brain dumped you. That time you invaded my mind. It is not the first or the last time I have done it. I didn't get anything too private but it is not very selective. I'm... sorry"

Severus blinked slowly, he should be angry he supposed. Enraged, possibly, instead, he was rather impressed; extracting a toll like that was positively Slytherin of the boy. "I expect my payment," he said.

"More of an olive branch, you shouldn't have been poking around in the first place, after all." Harry said seriously.

Snape quirked a lip in a thin smile, "Continue"

Harry hefted his bag and pulled out several notepads. "I've been working on this steadily for quite a while. It is amazing stuff really. With your knowledge and a new look at the problem, I think I've cracked it."

"Cracked what?"

"Gongari Clay"

Snape went white.

'Oh shit, here come the hexed bits.' Harry thought tensing. He knew he could take the teacher in a fight but he did not want to fight him.

"Potter, I have worked on this my entire career," he said slowly.

"I know, sir. I admire your dedication... Say the word and I'll vanish the lot."

"Do you think me an idiot, Harry?" Severus asked.

"No sir. In fact, I know you are not."

Snape fixed him a look, "How much do you know?"

"A lot sir, I swear on my magic I won't tell a soul."

"I wouldn't have done it.," he said, the 'it' in this case obvious.

"I know sir, you loved her."

"I did."

"I understand, believe it or not."

"I'm not sure you could. You are rather popular with your peers and with women in particular. Just like your father."

"I'm not my father. I never have been, Professor." Harry replied softly.

"I know that now." Severus said slowly, his shoulders relaxing. "She was brilliant," he said wistfully.

"So I've been told, sir. I wish... I wish I'd met her."

A long pause, "Perhaps I can fill you in on a side of her I doubt has been much mentioned before."

"I think I'd like that sir."

"For now, what is all this scribble? I swear Harry your handwriting is worse than the headmasters."

Harry laughed slightly, "You could be right there sir. It is mostly Arithmancy. I have your knowledge of ingredients but not your- flair with them."

"Cease your flattery and get to the point."

"I wasn't - never mind. I had to go back to the math... I've computed each individual atom of the make up and factored in natural magic."

"Natural magic?"

"The area the clay is mined is saturated in Aboriginal rites and magic's. Ever wondered about a duck billed platypus? Now we know," he said with a grin.

Snape rolled his eyes. "So the missing factor is... magic." Snape said, almost spitting the word.

"Yep, that silly wand waving you dislike so much. It will take two people to create the base potion. One to mix and one to cast raw magic into the mixture."

Snape paused for a long time, "SHIT!" he suddenly said causing Harry to laugh in surprise.

"In my arrogant belief in the superiority of potions; I missed a vital component."

"No offence, but that's pretty much what I thought too."

Snape shot him a sour look.

-oOo-

"I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it until you get it through your over optimistic view of the world. Voldemort does not care about anything except Nagini. Pureblood supremacy does not matter to him in the least. You know as well as I do that he is half-and-half. He isn't anti-Muggle or anti anything. Or, rather, everything, he wants it all to BURN. He would be quite happy if it was just he and his bloody snake, which, by the way, he intends to turn into something like himself. This I believe at least, since he knows of a ritual to do so. I think she is the target. He's never really loved anything but that bloody dog and that snake."

Dumbledore was already pensive, now he was just silent too.

"I don't mean to be so blunt but it's got to be said," Harry told him. "You're working under the assumption that he's using human compunctions and your theory is way off. He is not human, he's at least part reptile now. They think differently, totally differently, than you do."

"I do?"

"I'm part reptile too now, sir. My worldview has shifted dramatically. That's not to mention that I'm also part feline up here." Harry said tapping his head. "I'm not entirely human anymore, sir, and I can't pretend that I think the same way I used to."

"That... concerns me Harry," the professor admitted.

"Don't let it. I will do the job and without the hang-ups, I had before. He is a dangerous animal and needs to be put down. The faster, the better, but he's currently playing hide go seek with the world. I suspect he's building forces. What forces, I shudder to imagine. Anything from your- source?"

"He's not been called away in sometime."

"I'm not surprised and wouldn't be surprised if Voldemort knew actually."

"That would be extremely dangerous for Severus, you do realize."

"Better than you sir, I suspect that you are being fed misinformation and have been for a while. When he's reached the limit of his usefulness, he will be disposed of in Voldemorts usual manner."

Dumbledore did NOT look happy about that revelation.

"I've added him to the spell the Potters used. If he is in trouble... I will know. It took a bloody long while to figure out how though. I've added a few people actually, you included." Harry said with a smile. "I know you think I'm the most important thing the Order has, but without its head the body dies, in most cases."

"Thank you, Harry." Albus said with a nod.

"I'm still not giving you any rides, though" Harry shot back with a grin.

Dumbledore was about to quip back when he felt something. He smiled, "Ahh, It appears that our new Art's professor has arrived."

"Cool, do you want me to..."

"No, do stay. She will need to make your acquaintance anyway."

"I'm still not sure how I got roped into that as it is." Harry grumbled good-naturedly.

"It was your idea Harry, only fair you ... gain the experience."

"Suffer the consequences, you mean. I just hope she's not another Pureblood snob."

"If she is even slightly as I remember Harry, I think you will be surprised." Dumbledore smirked, "I'm actually due for a sitting with her as well, so this will be an interesting experience, though it is costing me a small fortune."

"I hope you don't intend to join them," he said with a wave at the rows of ex-heads, "for at least another 157 odd years."

"Perhaps not soon, but not that long either."

"The world will be a lot less interesting without you in it... Albus"

"Why thank you dear boy."

"About the fortune..." Harry said thinking hard. "I'll pay under one condition..."

"Which is?"

"A copy is made for my home... Your council is always wise and I for one wouldn't want to be without it."

"That is quite a compliment." Albus said surprised. "But why when you have my knowledge?"

"You should know that knowledge is but one part of the equation. Experience and personality are factors too."

Dumbledore nodded, "She has arrived at my Gargoyle. I will just let her in. Please do stay, Harry."

Harry glanced at his watch and then nodded.

"Somewhere to be Harry?" Dumbledore asked with a slight smirk.

Harry shrugged, he could hardly tell the headmaster he had a date with the head girl to do whatever he was going to do to her tonight.

Dumbledore swept out of the room, and Harry was alone in the office. He got up and walked over to Fawkes. "Hey there Fawkes, how are you?" he asked.

The bird rubbed into his hand and sang a little.

"Don't you get bored up here all the time?"

The bird nodded its head towards the window.

"Ahh you go out and about, hey. Say Hi to Hedwig or something next time you are mobile. I think she fancies you."

The Phoenix twittered in an amused fashion at him.

"Harry... Are you talking to Fawkes?" Dumbledore asked in slight surprise, "and He's replying?"

"Of course, we're old friends, aren't we mate?" Harry said to the bird, who nodded.

"Must unusual," he said and was interrupted from further thought by a polite clearing of a feminine throat behind him.

"I'm most terribly sorry, dear. Come on in do." Dumbledore said and shifted to the side.

Revealed was one of the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen, she looked to be an African princess but she had quite pale amber eyes that looked into your soul. 'What a fox,' Harry thought.

"It is my pleasure to introduce Miss Capalle Zabini. Capalle; this is Harry Potter. He will be your guide, assistant and is also the source of your fee." Dumbledore said with slight amusement.

Harry held out a hand, "A pleasure, Miss Zabini."

"Likewise, Mr. Potter," she said with a voice like molten chocolate. She cast her eye around the room and the portraits in particular. "Less than inspiring work," she commented, much to the various portraits annoyance.

"Ohh be quiet, you bunch of old wind bags." Harry said turning on them. He personally thought they were all amazing work but then he was not an artist. He was however, thoroughly fed up with them putting in their two pennies worth all the time. It grew tedious to say the least.

The portraits grew silent.

"Thank god for that," he muttered.

Capalle Zabini turned an amused look on her young assistant. "One does not usually talk to the assembled patrons of Hogwarts in such a fashion," she rebuked with no real feeling.

Harry shrugged and shot her a charming smile.

"So, Mr. Potter, what do you know about Art?"

"Nothing at all, Miss Zabini"

She turned a slightly confused look at the headmaster, "Normally a patron has at least an understanding of the subject he patrons?" she asked the man. "I would certainly need assistance from someone that could actually assist me with art."

"Mr. Potter is understating himself, as he usually does." Albus said with a fond smile at the young man. He directed everyone to sit down and walked behind his desk. He reached into one of the unending drawers and pulled out a hauntingly familiar statuette.

"This is quite good," Capalle said thoughtfully.

"How'd you get a hold of that?" Harry asked in confusion.

"It took some doing but I convinced Miss Patel to part with it for the night. On the strict promise I return it to her in the morning." Albus said with a smile, "She really is quite taken with it and you for creating it."

"You did this?" Miss Zabini asked.

Harry nodded, "It's just a..." 'Bugger if I say memory he's going to know I was out when I shouldn't be and that'll go down really well.' "...simple piece."

"Gongari Clay, unfixed and no commands," she noted turning the piece in her hands.

"I forgot to fix it actually," Harry, said pulling out his wand.

Capalle stiffened slightly but relaxed when she saw what he was doing. Harry fixed the statue, nothing changed physically but now it could not be reversed by the correct incantation.

"An unusual choice of attire." she commented turning it in her hands again, "You are well versed with the subject though. It lacks imagination, though."

"I'm no artist. It was a simple demonstration of the Clay's properties, nothing more." There was no way he was he was going to get out of this without telling them the truth unless he let them have a mistaken impression about him that could lead to problems with his 'teaching' later. "It's a memory, I can't do art," he said finally, looking at the headmaster.

"I already knew, Harry. With your constant retelling that you are not an artist, it could be nothing but." Dumbledore told him, "I won't ask and you don't have to tell me. You are young and your own man now, then too I suspect."

"Thank you, sir." Harry mumbled.

"Then the subject is obviously your lover," Capalle said finally.

Harry flushed slightly, "No," he said firmly.

She looked at him in surprise, "To do this level of detail one has to be intimately knowledgeable of the subject in question unless you are able to... fill in the blanks with imagination. Yet you say you are not an artist?"

"Harry has a highly organized mind. He is able to recall in vivid detail just about anything he has seen in his life. It is a by-product of some Occlumancy and a Muggle technique I have not had time to study. The result is as you see. Photographic recall" Dumbledore explained for him.

"This still leaves the problem of having a non artist as my assistant," she said.

"Dean is the one you want." Harry said after a moments thought. "I'll help out for a while as you get him ready, then I suggest you use him instead. I can lump around clay and mix materials though."

"Dean... Thomas. The main reason I was brought here."

"One of them," Dumbledore said, "It has come to my attention and, because of Harry once again, that the British Wizarding world is not nurturing it's full potential in most area's of study. We have become too focused on creating so called 'productive' members of society and have left out the gentile subjects, such as Art... Music, these sorts of things, there are many in the world that could be an Auror or in some other fashion work in government. There are few, such as yourself, Capalle that create."

She nodded in agreement, "This is one of the reasons that I came." She told them.

"He won't disappoint, I promise you," Harry told her seriously. "He's very good at what he does. Talented to the extreme, we all think."

"Take me to my classroom?" she asked, more ordered.

The headmaster nodded, "Go on Harry. It's a good idea."

Harry nodded. "Miss Zabini," he said with a nod towards the door and quick look at his watch. He was going to be cutting this fine if he was not careful. He could only imagine Cho's reaction if he did not turn up on time or otherwise.

He led the beautiful woman through the hallowed halls of Britain's oldest learning establishment and they soon reached what was to be her classroom.

"Dean mate? What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Oh bugger... I was just working on something. What time is it?"

"Eleven Thirty mate." Harry said with a laugh. "Tell you what, while you're here. Meet Miss Zabini."

Dean looked at her with a big smile, "It's a privilege to meet you, professor," he said with awe in his voice.

She ignored the introduction and instead walked over to the desk that Dean was working at. "Normal Clay?" she asked.

"Yes, Harry said I should try doing it this way as well as with the other stuff."

"He did, did he?" She said looking at Harry in interest.

Harry shrugged, "Artists work in all sorts of mediums, don't they?"

She ignored the question and looked that sculpture over. "This has quite a bit of potential," she said critically. "Strong lines, shows competence. A sure hand with the trowel, not a pallet knife, then?"

"I've not gotten to that stage of detail yet." Dean said self-consciously.

"No... It is fine work though. Definite potential" She turned to Harry, "You were correct in bringing me here."

"Well, Dean was thinking he'd have to leave the Wizarding world to do his art. We couldn't afford to loose that sort of talent so easily."

Dean ducked his head.

"No, indeed you and the headmaster are correct about that. I would suggest that you work on larger pieces for a while, though. Get a feel for the medium and it allows you a little leeway with detail," she said to the young artist. She looked around, "We do appear to have a large amount of Gongari Clay."

Harry snorted, "This is nothing. We have been stock piling for the last 100 odd years. Typical administrative cock up, the classes were canned, but the order was never stopped. So in the dungeons there is a room full of the stuff and it isn't a small room either."

"Fabulous," Capalle said with a smile that lit up the surrounding area. "Get me some, would you, Harry?"

He looked at little surprised but walked over and grabbed a lump of the stuff.

"Excellent, now if you please, I want another demonstration of this ability you have."

"Oh... you've got to see the statue he did for Parvati. She went mental over it." Dean put in.

"He still says he is not an artist." Capalle said with a slight smile.

"Artists are all about being able to take something and make it shine. I only have memory. I can't interpret something, I can only copy." Harry said.

"Still, an interesting talent"

"It's not a talent," Harry said, "It's a skill anyone can learn."

"I should hope not. Otherwise people like us," she said waving at Dean and herself, "would be out of work."

"Again, you take something and make it more, better. Take a certain part of something and make that show up. A portrait can be a photo realistic copy, or you can make an aspect of the subject show through." Harry said, "THAT is talent."

"I still want to see," she told him. "And Mr. Thomas, I've seen the statue you mentioned it was interesting."

"Harry's amazing," Dean said causing Harry a little shock. "You'll soon come to see what we all do. He's special."

"Dean!" Harry said with a blush.

"Interesting, but please go on with the demonstration."

Harry sighed, "What do you want?"

"Anything?"

He concentrated for a minute picking something from his memory. He dare not do anymore portrait style sculpting. Instead, he decided on a 'safe' subject. A memory of Thisilar in full flame as seen from just in front of said flame, the result, as he cast, was quite spectacular. The dragon reeling back and taking in a giant breath, its chest puffed out and quite obviously, about to blow away what was in front of it. Very little could take a full flame from a dragon. The heat went beyond mere physical flame into the realms of magic.

Capalle let out a breath.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Dean said, "That's fan-bloody-tastic." He said peering at the small statue from every angle.

"When did you see a dragon like that? How on earth did you survive?"

'Okay, not so safe,' Harry thought wryly.

"Harry fought one in the Tri-Wizard championship." Dean informed her.

"I was the one that did the sculptures given out to the contestants," she informed him. "I know that dragon very well. This is of the same species but it is NOT the same dragon. You can only work from memory correct."

Harry nodded.

"Then I must ask how you are still here?"

"A guy needs his mystique," he said with a charming smile.

"I told you Professor, Harry is something else. Look at this thing. Excuse the language Professor Zabini but I'd have crapped my pants, Harry probably whacked it on the nose with a paper."

Harry guffawed.

"I also note you cast silently." Capalle said with a sigh. "Not many your age can."

Dean just grinned at him.

Harry shrugged, "I've got a few tricks. I tend to need them. Besides, Silent casting is no big deal. As Professor Snape says, 'no silly wand waving' is necessary. Magic is about intent and power, not the words involved. They merely help the younger student focus properly, giving the spell the correct intention."

Dean looked at him seriously, "Thanks Harry. I did not get that, but... I think I can do it now."

Harry nodded towards his tools, "Go on then mate."

Dean smiled, his eyes screwing up.

Harry stopped him, "You're not going to the toilet mate, let it flow. Feel it inside, grab it and do the deed."

Dean laughed, but nodded. He held out his wand and pointed it at the small palette knife he had been using. A few seconds and it lifted into the air. "YES!" he enthused. "So that's what Professor Flitwick has been trying to get through my head."

"Said the words in your head, didn't you?" Harry asked with a smirk.

Dean smirked, "We're not all that good Harry."

"Does the job mate. So it is fine. In a fight, it gives you a good advantage if the other person does not know what is coming. But running the words through your head while fighting a Legimens would be fatal."

"Typical male, It always comes down to conflict somewhere along the line," Capalle said with a sad sigh.

"In my case, Professor, it is necessity rather than desire to think of things in that fashion," Harry said with an equally sad sigh.

"Can I set this?" Dean asked, distracting them both.

Harry shrugged, "If you want mate."

Dean did so, and smiled since he had not said the words.

"You are a born teacher, Mr. Potter."

"Please call me Harry," Harry said. "Teaching is great actually, but I'm a born killer, nothing else." he said sadly.

Her response was cut off when Professor Snape virtually exploded through the door. "There you are Harry, you've got to come and..." he trailed off as he caught sight of Capalle. His jaw dropped and he came to a screeching halt.

"Professor Snape; Professor Zabini"

Snape blinked.

Capalle smiled.

Snape felt his world... change.

Harry looked between the two and smiled. Then his watch chimed. His face fell, "Oh bugger," he said.

"Something the matter, Harry?" Snape asked in a distracted sort of way.

"Erm... No nothing. Was there something you wanted, Professor?"

Snape snapped back to himself. "Oh yes, actually, I need your help with something."

"Dean, mate could you finish showing Professor Zabini around?" Harry asked.

"I'll write you a pass." Snape said, much to everyone's surprise.

"Of course, it'd be a pleasure."

"If that is okay with you Professor?" Harry asked the attractive woman.

"Of course." she said, her eyes wandering to Snape.

Harry smirked, "Then Professor when you're ready."

"Come along Potter," Snape said, and once they were out of the door he added, "Stop bloody smirking at me."

Harry chuckled, "Of course Professor... Professor, do you mind if I just nip off and do something. I'll meet you at your lab."

Snape shot him a strange look but nodded nonetheless. "Very well."

"Thanks Professor." Harry said and took to his heels.

"No running in the hallways," Snape called after him.

-oOo-

Harry came to a screeching halt as he reached the entrance to Ravenclaw and looked around. "Well she didn't wait long," he mumbled with annoyance.

"Who are you looking for?" the portrait that guarded Ravenclaw asked.

"Cho Chang." Harry replied.

"She re-entered just a moment ago."

Harry told it the password, much to the portraits surprise and it opened for him. "Cho?" he said in a low tone.

"Harry?" Was the quick but surprised reply.

"Look, sorry about this Cho." Harry said.

"I thought you weren't coming," she said in an equally as low tone, looking a bit put out as she walked over to him.

"I'm sorry but tonight has been crazy. Look, this is not going to happen tonight. I have a new teacher to help and Professor Snape wants something. I'm not going to be able to hook up tonight."

Cho frowned at him, "I was waiting for ages, Harry."

He frowned at her, "I'm only ten minutes late, Cho."

"I've been there since 11.30," she told him.

"That is not my fault Cho. I said midnight. I'm sorry I was late but I have responsibilities now."

"You don't think I do?" She asked snappishly, "I'm Head Girl, you know!"

"Whatever Cho. How about tomorrow, same time?"

"I'll think about it."

Harry shrugged, "Whatever, I'll be there for ten minutes. If you don't turn up, fine." he told her and walked away.

Cho let out an annoyed huff, knowing full well she would be there, probably early again too. She stomped off to her dorm.

Neither of them had realized they were not alone; a blonde head appeared from behind the nearest high backed chair and looked at the door with a disapproving look on her face.

-oOo-

Harry thundered down to the dungeons of the school, navigating on instinct as he did so. He had had to stop and explain himself to Filch, but being an Assistant Professor had its uses. He finally came to a black doorway and knocked gently. It did not do to disturb Snape shockingly, for one it could ruin a potion and secondly one tended to have to dodge hexes.

"Come," the man himself called out.

Harry let himself in, his nostrils being filled with acrid smells and peering through a miasma of smoke. It was amazingly hot in the small room but Harry liked the heat these days, it spoke to the reptile inside of him.

"What can I do for you Professor?"

"On my desk Harry, Just check my calculations," he was ordered.

Harry did as he was asked, taking a seat and pouring over the Arithmancy set out in Snape's neat but small penmanship. "Huh." He said after a moment, "You found an error in my calculations." He continued.

"You're not infallible, Potter." Snape told him.

"Never said I was, sir, it's just that I double and triple checked them over. I'm annoyed at myself is all," Harry said. Silence as he continued the long work of checking equations and calculations over. It was quite the compliment that Snape trusted him to do this actually.

"I think this one might need some adjustment," Harry said after a long moment. Pointing out the section, he was talking about.

Snape looked over his shoulder, "Hmmm," he said, "How so?"

"It's taking the amount of magic needed and doubling it at least. I do not think you will need to do that. The natural magic we are trying to replace is of a very low level. If we over do the power levels, we are going to destabilize the matrix entirely. I suggest we start low and build our way up until we get it right. It's a lot easier to add than subtract after all."

"That's true enough, I suppose." Snape said thoughtfully. "How much do you suggest?"

"Very little, about 1 amp"

"Amp?"

"Electrical expression, I'm not sure what it's called in magical terms."

"Erg." Snape filled in. "I suspect they are about the same thing though."

"Actually, I DID know that. Knowledge isn't fully integrated as yet," he said

"Hmm, interesting, but not germane to our discussion, I've got the base potion ready by the way."

Harry looked up in interest. "Already"

"I was hoping to give this a try tonight. Unless you are too tired?" Snape asked, almost eagerly.

Harry shook his head, "I'm good. Let's give it a go."

-oOo-

"God Harry, wake up already."

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Harry said, "I was just thinking. Sorry I didn't hear you the first time. I was doing some... housekeeping."

"Hmm, whatever mate, it's breakfast time." Ron said.

"Already?" Harry asked in shock. He and Professor Snape had worked until about 4am, and then Harry had gone back to his dorm to meditate and try to organize his knowledge. The stuff he had gotten from the Headmaster was taking some sorting. How the man operated with so much stuff in his head and in little to no order, Harry could not understand.

"Well what time did you get in last night?"

"4am, this being assistant teacher stuff is for the birds mate." Harry said with a yawn.

"I'm worried about you, Harry. I hardly see you anymore."

Harry shot him a sour look, "I'm around mate, and it's you that is always with Lavender."

Ron smirked and shrugged, "She has assets you don't."

Harry laughed, "That's true enough I suppose. How are you and Hermione getting on?" he asked carefully.

Ron winced, "I don't know what her problem is mate. She has gone mental on me, I swear she has. Is she mental with you too?"

Harry paused, "She's not being herself of late, I'll admit," he said.

"She HATES Lavender though, it's scary."

Harry shook his head, "Sometimes, mate, you're really dense."

"What?" Ron asked.

Harry just shook his head at him. "You'll figure it out mate, but I just hope it won't be too late by time you do."

"What are you on about mate?" Ron said with a shake of his head.

"Like I said, you'll figure it out... eventually."

"You make out like I'm thick or something." Ron complained.

"I know you aren't thick mate, just clueless about certain things."

"Clue me in then." Ron shot back.

"If I do, you won't learn anything." Harry said with a smirk.

"Git!"

"So quite a few people tell me" Harry shot back. "So... you going to give the new arts class a go then. First class is tomorrow night."

Ron screwed up his face, "I dunno mate, and seems kind of girly."

"Don't let Dean hear you say that." Harry suggested.

"That's different, he's got real talent."

"That's certainly true. But what do you think, give it a go?"

"I dunno mate, there's practice that night."

Harry blanched, "What?"

"Practice, you know Quidditch... Ringing any bells here?"

"Oh... bugger." Harry said.

"What's the problem Harry, it's not like you HAVE to take the class."

Harry winced, "Ron, mate, I'm helping teach it."

"No. No. No." Ron said, "You can't. What about Quidditch?"

Harry shook his head. "I dunno mate. I honestly do not know. I mean we are planning to replace me eventually with Dean. In the meantime I'm kind of stuck with it."

"Oh bugger. You're good mate but even you need to practice."

"I know, I know. With everything else going on though..."

"Don't you dare say it?" Ron said, slapping his hand over Harry's mouth.

Harry just looked at him.

"We're working something out. Try to get the pitch another night or something." Ron told him, "You're our star seeker. All my strategies have you smack bang in the centre this season."

Harry just looked at him.

"Oh sorry mate," Ron said removing his hand.

"Thank you so very much." Harry said with a slight grin. "You're right though... We will figure it out. But next year I'm not so sure I'll be able to play."

Ron winced, "I told you not to say it."

"This year I'll make every effort to stay in the team. I mean, strictly speaking, I am semi a member of the staff. I get them, but I'm not supposed to earn House points even."

"Shit... really?"

Harry nodded, "I'm like half a member of staff and half a student. In some ways, the rules do not apply while in others they do. Like I can wander the halls at night, but I can't miss my homework," he said smiling at the end.

Ron laughed, "That sucks."

Harry nodded.

"Well, I'll talk to Madam Hooch about the pitch and the team of course. You talk to Professor Dumbledore about letting you out to play." Ron suggested.

"Okay mate, sounds like a plan."

"Right, I'm hungry." Ron said

Harry laughed, "Come on, you walking stomach; let's go before you're devoured from the inside out, I can hear it growling from here."

"Oh, got to meet with Lav in the Common room."

Harry froze.

"What's up?"

"Nothing mate, crick in my back."

"Not going to kick Dean off his chair again, are you?" Ron asked with a smirk.

"Hopefully not"

"Maybe you should take 'Mione up on her offer." Ron said walking off.

Harry blushed slightly.

"Well you coming or what?"

Harry followed his friend down to the common room. His red haired best friend latched onto his girlfriend almost on sight.

'She really has got him tied up in her knickers, hasn't she?' Harry thought to himself.

She decided to notice him and smiled thinly, "Harry," she said.

"Lavender," Harry said back in much the same tone of voice. In other words frosty.

Ron, bless him, missed the byplay, "Ready Luv." he asked.

"For you baby, anytime," she said dreamily.

Harry grimaced slightly.

"Come on luv, let's eat." Ron said and started to lead them away, hand in hand with his girlfriend. Lavender looked over her shoulder and strangely enough shot Harry a heated look.

He frowned in reply.

Her eyes narrowed.

So did his.

"Harry, do you have a minute?" A voice called out to him.

"Sure, Parv," he said turning to her and expression turning to a smile.

Lavender shot her friend a scowl but was already being led away by her boyfriend.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

Parv waited until they were alone before speaking. "I don't know what happened between you two. It can't have been good though," she said after a minute.

"No, it really wasn't." Harry agreed. "But as to exactly WHAT it was I couldn't actually tell you. She was awfully jealous of that statue I made you though."

Parv smiled, "About that."

"Yeah Professor Dumbledore said he was going to get that back to you. I fixed the setting too, something I'd forgotten to do before," he said.

Parv smiled at him, "Thank you, Harry. That's not what I was going to ask though."

"Oh?" he asked expectantly.

She leaned forward and kissed him with quite a bit of heat. His arms curled around her and held her close for the minute or two the kiss lasted. Eventually she pulled back with a smile on her face, "Thank you very much." she said.

"For what?"

"The statue... That kiss." she replied

"The statue was nothing. The kiss was my pleasure," he told her with a charming, sexy, smile on his face.

"I was wondering..."

"What?"

"Can we, you know... do what we were doing that night... sometime... If you, you know, want to?"

"I thought that was a one time thing."

"You kiss like an angel, Harry. No girl wants that to be a one time thing."

"I'm sort of seeing someone at the moment," he admitted. 'Or maybe more than one.' he added mentally.

"You didn't seem to care a minute ago," she smirked at him.

"That's true. Honestly, I do not care about it. It is a casual thing. I just thought you might."

"Casual is fine by me too, Harry"

Harry smiled, "I think that's an idea I can get behind."

"Only if you're really good, Harry," she told him saucily.

Harry laughed, "Come on minx. I'm hungry."

She leaned forward and kissed him hotly again. "Just to tide me over you understand. Let me know when you're free, okay?"

Harry nodded, and got his raging hormones under control as well as other things.

"Come on then," Parv said leading him down into the great hall for breakfast, whereupon she was the target of a couple of nasty glares. She honestly did not care though. She was out to have some fun; she liked fun, preferably without too many complications. Even Harry seeing someone else did not bother her a lot, just as long as it was not her best friend any more. She had stepped back before because the two had seemed so hot for each other. The air virtually warped when they had been kissing back in London. Of course, his kisses towards her had been no less- heated. It was just a good idea to be careful around Lav. She was occasionally a bit clingy. If she had to guess, she would say that it had been jealousy that had driven her and Harry apart in the first place. The statue obviously had not gone down too well at all. She personally had been on the business end of a serious hissy fit that evening. It was hard to explain to an irrational Lav that she was NOT trying to steal Harry away from her. Which was more than slightly annoying in the first place, because Lav was a big ole flirt most of the time, so Harry flirting should have been fine, yet apparently, it was not.

Stranger still was Lavenders continued belief that she had some sort of hold over Harry when she was going out with his best friend.

Parv loved her friend, she really did, but that did not mean she did not think the girl had some serious issues.

She sat down to her breakfast, making a mental count of how many stares she was getting. Cho Chang was one and it was a pretty nasty one at that. Luna Lovegood looked confused. Hermione Granger looked slightly put out. Not counting Lavender, the worst glare she was getting was from the Slytherin table. Why Daphne 'I'm a lesbian' Greengrass was shooting her a jealous look she had no idea. It WAS interesting though. Was Harry doing something with her, of all people?

Her friend Tracey Davis was looking intrigued more than anything else. Parv was sure that she and Greengrass were 'together' actually, but it was hard to be sure. They were never intimate in public or anything. It was just a feeling she had.

Harry suddenly jerked in his chair, drawing the entire table's attention onto him.

Dean smirked and shifted his chair back. "Do I have to be worried, Mate?" He asked, "Back playing you up again?"

Harry was looking a little freaked. "Sorry mate, but its okay. I think you're safe this time."

Harry looked at his plate and over to Hermione, who was wearing a cat that got the cannery smile. He could skip breakfast, he supposed. It was one way to keep her hands to herself.

He could always nick a cow from the local farm later... 'Oh god I wish I hadn't thought that,' he told himself looking a little green. Suddenly his eggs and bacon were not looking that attractive a prospect. He had missed about three meals so far and it was not as if he had fat to burn either. No, he had to eat.

Hermione reached for the bread again. In a flash, he handed her the platter. She looked a little put out, but accepted it with a smile. "You should let me have a go at you Harry," she said suddenly.

Harry blinked at her.

"I'll be sure to work out that stiffness, I promise."

Harry blinked again. "Erm... Thanks Hermione," he said carefully.

"Come see me tonight and I'll sort you out," she told him with a gleam in her eye.

"Hmmm, got a full dance card tonight, 'Mione." he said, "I'll catch up with you, though. We need to talk," he said putting emphasis on the last word.

She met his eyes, a naughty expression in her own. "I can talk," she told him.

Somehow, Harry thought she was missing his meaning.

The table jumped again.

The Gryffindor nearby laughed.

"You really should let Hermione do you mate," Ron said.

Harry blinked again. 'This is SO surreal.' he noted to himself.

"I agree, Ron," Lavender said nastily. "I'd think he'd need something by now."

Harry narrowed his eyes at her, "I'm more than fine, I assure you," he said.

She scowled at him.

He ignored her for the rest of the meal.

-oOo-

"Now we're ready to begin working on our transformations," McGonagall said after they had finished talking, in depth, about the process.

The class generally looked excited.

"This is where we begin to find out who will and will not be able to transform," she told them. "If you cannot, I assure you that it is by no means something to be ashamed off. Out of the entire year, I expect no more than a dozen of you will be able to transform even a part of yourself. Perhaps one or two will accomplish the full transformation."

'Like Hell,' Harry thought to himself. Dumbledore was right, people needed an escape mechanism. He would do whatever he could to help, though he was not entirely sure on what that should be at that current time. He would do something though, that was for damn sure. Even for the ferret, who unfortunately was not actually a ferret. Some sort of ape, apparently. Pansy was a quite attractive looking horse and Crabbe and Goyle were both gorillas.

This was VERY funny actually.

There were other amusing creatures but for the most part everyone was quite happy with their animal forms.

"We will start with the hand. You will require great attention to detail. This is why we have been studying our animals so fully. Imagine your hand as the appropriate limb on your form. This is where spells cannot help you. You have to 'feel' your magic and let it flow, control it, of course, but you must meld the magic to your mind and to your form. It will do the rest."

Dean glanced at Harry and gave him a nod and a smile.

Harry smiled and nodded back.

"Now look at your hands. Pick one and concentrate on it. Will it to become the paw or appendage in question," the professor went on to say.

Harry glanced at his hand he could already do this. He had found both his forms already. The magic he had made it almost easy. This perhaps, though, would be good practice for him in controlling the rate and flow of his magic. He focused. His hand shifted and promptly his desk was crushed.

'SHIT!' He thought and quickly changed back.

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall said sharply. "Whatever happened?"

"I don't really know Professor," he said. 'I used the wrong fricking form is what I did,' he admonished himself mentally.

She waved her wand and his desk was back in an upright and whole position. "What was your form again?" She asked.

"Jaguar, Professor."

"They aren't that heavy," she pointed out.

"Like I said professor, not really sure what happened," he said over much sniggering.

"Very well, do try to be careful." she told him. "Now back to work, all of you."

He glanced around, hoping no one had seen. It was a futile hope. Hermione was looking at him as if she had seen a ghost.

He ignored her for now; he knew he would have to deal with her later though, to think of something appropriate or something. He focused on his cat's paw transformation. Only he was too up in the air and instead of turning just his hand, his magic flared.

"Oh I say!" McGonagall said suddenly.

Harry growled and kicked shifted around, the entire class room suddenly too bright and filled with noise and smells.

"Wow, he's GORGEOUS," Parvati, gushed, moving towards him.

"STOP" McGonagall shouted, freezing her in place. "Remain still, Mr. Potter, no one here will harm you. Don't let the animal side take over."

Harry nodded, to show he was safe.

McGonagall breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good. This is something we have yet to truly cover. I didn't think anyone would transform yet..." she shook her head, "I should've known it would be you, though."

Harry chuffed out a laugh.

"When transformed, your animal side CAN take over. The feral nature can and has done, take over and make you into little more than the animal you have changed into. We are going to work on meditation techniques that help you to remain in control when transformed."

Parvati was still half out of her chair; Harry looked at her and padded over. She reached out slowly, her hand shaking somewhat. He pushed his head into her hand and was stroked in reply.

"Where are his clothes?" Ron asked curiously.

"Your magic takes care of that." Hermione put in, moving forward to make a fuss of the feline Harry as well.

"Harry, can you turn back?" McGonagall asked softly.

Harry turned away from his growing fan club and walked over to his desk, morphing before their eyes as he sat down.

"Remarkable." McGonagall whispered. "10 points, Mr. Potter."

Harry shook his head at her. "Oh, I'd forgotten again." she admitted slightly sheepishly.

Hermione looked between them.

It was actually Ron that filled her in. "Harry can't earn points anymore."

"I can loose them, though" Harry put in.

Lavender was looking annoyed at her boyfriend, so he backed away.

Hermione looked more than a little annoyed, more about the point's thing than anything else.

Draco sneered in pleasure. Potter got Gryffindor far too many points and now he could not, 'Oh happy day,' he thought.

"Very well, after that excitement, back to work if you please, Harry, a word," the professor said.

Harry walked up to her desk and they began a whispered conversation.

"What happened, Harry?" she asked him.

Harry looked contrite, "I've been able to do it for a while now, but my control isn't what it should be."

"How is that?" She asked.

"I really did only mean to change my paw... Hand."

"I see, how long?"

"About a couple of weeks or so."

"Doing so without someone to watch over you, Harry, it is remarkably short sighted of you."

"I just sort of did it in the end, actually," Harry told her.

"You have a relationship with your magic that is quite unlike anyone that I have ever taught or met Harry. It is truly remarkable. To maintain such control whilst in the change... How was it the first few times?"

Harry smiled, "Confusing... fuzzy and hard to think. Luckily the Occlumancy training I have had helped I think. Part of me was always in control."

"The fact you can fight of the Imperio might have a bit to do with it as well," she said thinking hard. "It shows a sense of self that cannot be denied. It also makes you pigheaded enough to try this alone in the first place." she added the last with a thin smile.

"Sorry, Professor."

"It makes the rest of this section rather moot for you, though, doesn't it, Harry?" She asked with a slight smirk. "I think I also will avail myself of your assistant status."

"Just as long as you don't have me marking homework," he said with a grin.

"Stay up here with me and watch over the class and see if anyone needs help." she said finally.

"Okay, Professor," he agreed, leaning back on her desk and looking out over the class.

Draco looked up and saw his hated nemesis standing at the front of the class as if he belonged there or something. Oh, how he hated him. Smug, arrogant bastard, he needed to be taken down a peg or more. But how?

Just then, Harry swooped down the class to Pansy, helping her with her hoof, which she was stuck with half-and-half. He smiled at her charmingly and slightly flirtatiously, which gave Draco the beginnings of an idea... He was sure he could make Pansy do it; it was just a case of baiting the trap and springing it on the golden boy. How would he be with his reputation in tatters, Draco wondered... not so bloody smug to be sure. Draco smiled nastily and then went back to his hopefully soon to be paw. Not the most noble of creatures, perhaps, but he could see the opportunities inherent in it.

Harry walked back to the front of the class and looked out at it again, a chill running down his back. Some danger sense was warning him something was just not right, that someone meant him harm. It was not that much of an alien feeling to him these days, but he wished it were. No one seemed to be leaping out at him.

Then he locked gazes with a pair of ice blue eyes. 'God that Greengrass is a hottie', he thought giving her a sexy smile. She actually blushed slightly and ducked her head back down to her hand.

'Strange,' he thought to himself with an inner smirk. Now there was a female he could definitely get into... in a manner of speaking of course. Though literally would be fan-bloody-tastic.

"Harry?" Hermione asked from her desk.

"Yes 'Mione?" He asked smiling at her.

"Could you give me a hand here?" She asked coyly.

Harry smiled and walked down to her. "What's up?"

She looked from side to side, "I can't do it, not at all. Everyone else has gotten at least a skin change. I've still got my bloody hand."

"Well, it's a very nice hand," he told her.

"Harry, please..."

"Okay, first step... You're thinking too bloody hard," he told her. "Not a surprise considering," he told her with a cheeky wink.

"I can't stop thinking," she told him waspishly.

"You can," he said, putting a hand on hers. "Don't think of anything"

A few moments then a head shake. "It's like not talking about an elephant in the room. You tell me to stop and I can't help myself."

Magic flared into his hand. She smiled faintly. "Concentrate on the join of us, the feel of my hand on yours. Nothing else okay," he said in a low voice.

She nodded, feeling the slight tingle where they met.

"You're surrounded in a blank fog. Sound is deadened; you cannot see anything but the fog all around you. It is ambient; it does not feel of anything. No dampness or chill," he virtually purred.

She did nod, but her eyes closed.

"There's nothing but you," he continued. "Just BE in the mist."

Hermione did as she was asked, starting to feel more than slightly peaceful.

"Now in the mist there is a bright light. It is brilliant it, lights up the surrounding area. That's your magic, can you feel it?"

A moment, then a nod

"Concentrate on it, will it closer," he told her. "Bring it right up to you. It's amazing isn't it, bright pure at it's core..."

She nodded a smile spreading across her face. "Now reach out," he told her.

She did, physically.

He pushed her arm down. "In your mind, not your body," he said in that same hypnotic voice.

She did as she was asked, feeling an almost painful electrical presence.

"It's a wild thing, so you have to be stern with it," he told her. "Don't let it work you, work it. Command it to your will, 'Mione."

"Will it to do what?"

"For now, just make it bend to your will," he told her.

In her mind, the ball of light seemed to try to flee. She was stern, as Harry instructed, and it snapped and crackled at her. "Bring it into you," he told her.

She mentally pulled it towards her, the light blinding her and the electric hiss of it filling her mind. Pull it in she did, though. She was of an indomitable will and she forced it to cooperate with her. It slowly, but surely sank into her body.

The air around her began to hum, in the real world too. By this point, the entire class had stopped to watch. None, after that, could deny that she was an unusually powerful witch. Professor McGonagall watched as Harry taught a student to control her raw magical core in stunned amazement. Dealing so directly with magic was virtually unheard of. Never known was someone that could TEACH others to do it. The amount of power Hermione apparently had at her disposal was also fascinating to behold. The aged professor was willing to bet that Draco Malfoy would not be so quick to anger the bushy haired girl again.

"Now open your eyes," Harry silkily said.

She did so, causing a few people to jump back as they were actually glowing with power.

"Look at your hand," he told her, having removed his own sometime ago.

She looked down, "It's the same."

"Make it different. Tell your magic what you want and do it!" He commanded.

She nodded in a distracted way, her magic leaping to her command.

"Careful, 'Mione, not too much, it needs just a trickle. Don't let your magic get away with you," he told her. "It's heady to be sure, but you are its master not the other way around."

She nodded and pulled back her power. Suddenly a paw appeared on the desk where her hand was. She flexed her fingers watching long sharp and deadly claws spring out and scratched the desk.

Harry smiled at her, "Well done, 'Mione," he said. "Now you know what to do to turn it back."

Hermione bit her lip. "I want to go all the way," she said.

'Oh boy'

"Not yet, you need to prepare you mind. You could easily enough, but you would be an animal. Just turn back, and pull your power down deep into yourself. I always imagine it to be around my belly button. Remember where you put it, and with practice you can call it up any time you need it," he told her.

She nodded, her paw morphing back into a hand. She beamed at him and threw her arms around his neck, "Thank you. Thank You, Thank You," she bubbled.

He pulled her gently off, "My pleasure, 'Mione," he said.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron said with a big grin, "Well done, 'Mione."

She smiled at him, and then turned back to Harry, "That felt amazing. Thank you."

Harry shrugged, "Like I've said often recently, magic is alive; it's a thing inside everyone. It's up to the individual to control is all"

"Mr. Potter! Well done. I only wish I could give you points for that, but I CAN give Hermione some points. 25 points to you, young lady, and well done."

"Teach me?" Ron said.

"I'll teach you all." Harry replied mildly.

"Indeed, I too would be interested in that lesson, so for the rest of this session... You're in charge." McGonagall said walking around her desk and promptly putting herself in Harry's chair. "Well, go on."

Harry blushed and sighed, "Okay, okay. It is easy enough to do; it just takes a lot of focus the first few times. Don't be upset if you don't get it straight off," he told them, walking to the front of the class.

In the end, no one but the professor herself duplicated Hermione's efforts. She was slightly annoyed to realize that her magic was nowhere near as potent as the younger witch's was.

As the class filed out, mostly full of praise for the lesson she kept Harry behind.

He waited for the last to leave and turned to her.

"Your turn, Mr. Potter." she said with a smile. "Everyone was able to emit their power, but not control it, so I now know the power levels of everyone in this class. Except you."

Harry smirked at her, "Can you keep a secret?" He asked impishly.

"Other than talking to the headmaster I give you my word on my magic," she said a slight flaring as she said it.

Harry shrugged, "He already knows to an extent." He admitted, "Ready?" He asked. It would be nice to show off for once.

"Go ahead."

WHAM, the air around Harry was alive with snapping hissing magic, turning the air vaguely blue in an aura that reached out a good few feet around him, then amazingly enough it intensified. His irises were snapping with tendrils of power and the wood around him was creaking, as it appeared to warp. He tilted his head at her gob smacked expression, but then pulled it all back down with little to no effort. Practice made perfect, after all.

"Merlin!" She exclaimed.

"Remember now..."

She shook her head, "Of course. Albus knows?"

"Most of the order saw me loose my temper, but that's as much as the wards could handle."

"Wards?"

"The wards that are used to power the other wards take ambient magic and use that. A lot of magic flows around this school, I have just topped off the reserve tanks, I would say. Luckily they are designed in such a fashion that they can't be overloaded easily."

"So there is more power?" She asked, going white.

"I am magic," he said in a hollow voice and laughed. "Don't worry, though, I'm not dangerous, but I thought you should know how and why I can do the things I do."

"An Animagus transformation must've been a walk in the park for you," she said, holding a hand to her chest.

"Actually, no. Power was fine, but power is not everything. It's nothing, in fact, without control. I'm still learning that aspect."

"Well... Thank you for your honesty. Tell me, can you really teach them all to change?"

Harry paused, "I think so," he told her.

"Everyone?"

"Of course."

"Then I would like you to join me for the Seventh year class's tomorrow as well as the rest of your year."

Harry paused.

"Please Harry"

"I'll have to miss lessons to do that."

"I will explain to your teachers. I'll fight them for it, in fact," she added with a laugh.

Harry laughed, "Okay then, but no fighting needed, I hope."

-oOo-

In the end, Cho turned up bang on twelve midnight. Harry had arrived a few minutes early, just in case. She slipped out of the portrait and looked around, but frowned when she could not see him.

Harry faded back into view and smiled at her, "Hello you." He said.

Her face blossomed into a smile. "I thought you'd stood me up again," she said, moving towards him quickly.

Harry shook his head, "Cleared my schedule especially." He told her with a sexy smile.

"Good," she told him, and gave him a quick, but filled with promise, kiss.

Harry smiled at her and they looked at each other for a minute. "Astronomy Tower?" She asked.

Harry shook his head, "Filch checks that place out every hour on the hour. Besides, I have somewhere ... better"

"Oh?" She asked, and then her eyes shot open as the world shifted on her, only to reform into a room she had never seen before. She stepped back and turned a full 360. "Nice... where are we?"

"That's a secret," he told her.

"Oh Harry, come on," she said. "How did we get here anyway?"

"So full of questions," he said taking off his coat and tossing it onto a nearby chair. Slytherin's personal chamber was quite the home away from home for him now. Not only was it private for ... fun stuff, it was peaceful and he had gone there on a regular basis alone to just think.

Cho tilted her head from side to side, "You're a lot sexier than you used to be, Harry," She told him frankly.

"Why, thank you, Cho. You're pretty sexy yourself," he told her with a smile that sent a shiver down her back.

She took off her outer robes and she had obviously changed. She was wearing a similar dress to before, thin, high on the leg and showing off her athletic curve to their best. Her long legs were shown in almost their entirety and shaped into a lust-filled dream by another pair of clunky looking heels. She stuck a little pose for him, "Do you like? After seeing your reaction to the other dress, I got this one to go with it."

Harry licked his lips, eyes alight, "You're a wet dream walking, Cho."

She smiled coyly at him and stepped back into his personal space. "I was wondering..."

"What?"

"We could pick up where we left off if you like," she said walking over to the couch and taking a seat, shifting back and parting her legs. Harry could quite clearly see straight up the short dress and, even if he were half-blind, which he was not anymore, he would have been able to see her lack of underwear.

He smiled slightly at the show, but frowned at the thought behind it. "I dunno Cho, as that didn't go so well for me. I was left a little high and dry, if you remember."

She smiled, "Then we could ... deal with that problem for you..." she said licking her lips at him.

"How so?" he asked.

She shifted into a more up right position, driving her dress the rest of the way up, "Come 'ere, Harry."

He stepped closer to her.

"Closer" she said flirtatiously.

Harry stepped right up to her, his waist about head height to her. She reached forward and fumbled with his belt, failing to remove it on the first few tries.

Harry rolled his eyes and helped the process along sliding his trousers down and showing that he was not entirely uninterested in the process. Cho's eyes widened at his still-covered manhood. "Mmm," she purred, reaching out and holding him.

Harry's smile grew. She then reached out and pulled down his boxers, head butting him slightly in the process. He winced slightly but ignored it, then her head came back up and she virtually poked herself in the eye with his dick. "Oh," she said in surprise.

Harry covered a laugh.

"My you are a big boy," she said.

'Okay, that SHOULD have been sexy sounding,' he thought to himself.

She grabbed his shaft in one hand a little hard, but it still felt good, and then put it in her mouth without further preamble. Harry frowned; something did not feel quite right. She sucked on him a little and it was starting to become a little better. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, but then felt teeth, then winced as she scraped across his helmet a little too hard.

She moaned as if she was in full flow and sucked harder, which was fine, so Harry started to relax his hands resting gently on her head, feeling her soft silky hair. Her head bobbed back, causing him to slide out and she moved forward again, whacking him into her chin, her cheek and finally back into her mouth, somewhat painfully.

By this point, Harry was starting to become tense in a way he did not normally associate with getting a blowjob and then, of all things, she bit him. "Ow!"

"Sorry," she said uncaring around him and then pushed back down, gagging on him and choking slightly, once again ending up with a little too much teeth introduced to his manhood. She pulled him off and coughed a bit, "Sorry," she said again.

Harry was looking at her a little horrified. 'She can't possibly be this bad, surely?' He asked himself.

She whacked him back in her mouth and sucked nicely for a while, keeping to the end of his shaft. Harry began to relax again, but it was a little sore, though, and her mouth was dry. Then she got adventurous again, once more gagged, and choked.

"OW!" Harry said pulling her off by the most expedient method, her hair in other words.

"Hey," she said mildly. "I was just getting into that," she said rubbing the back of her head.

"Hmm," Harry said. "Urh, perhaps you could use your hand?" He suggested.

Cho shrugged, "OK if you want. Sit down then."

'Wow Cho, you're so very sexy... I don't think." Harry thought sarcastically. He did however sit down, relaxed back, cock standing proud. He was not quite to the point of totally loosing his erection yet. "Take your clothes off, Cho," he purred.

Cho smiled at him and leapt to her feet, whipping her dress off over her head and throwing it off to one side after getting it briefly stuck on her head.

"Ooookay," Harry said. He was hoping for a bit of a show, but never mind. Lavender had always made a bit of a dance out of taking off her clothes and he had rather enjoyed that. Still, there was a hot-bodied naked girl in front of him. That could not be denied.

"Do you like what you see, Harry?" She asked, moving to kick off her shoes.

"No... Leave them on. And yes, I like what I see."

"You like my shoes?" She asked, sounding amused.

"I like what they do to your legs," he replied, leaning forward and running a hand up her leg.

She purred at him.

He smiled, let his arm drop and sat back. She plonked down beside him and went to give him head again. He panicked slightly, "I really fancy a hand job," he said quickly.

She shrugged again, "Okay," she said, grabbing his cock almost painfully hard but then braced herself on his thigh and proceeded to just rocket up and down his length. Strangely, it was not doing the job for Harry. The look on her face was more one of concentration than anything else and she seemed to be trying to move her hand as fast as possible, which wasn't all bad until her hand came of the end and ended up smacking him in the face.

"Did you just laugh?" Harry said, having heard something like laughter.

Cho shook her head, grabbing him again. "No," she said, "Why, is something funny?"

Harry had to bite back a laugh as she promptly smacked herself in the face this time. "Okay, Cho slow down a bit, it's not a race... just move up and down a bit slower, then you might not come off the end."

Then she said one of the worst things possible to say to a guy, "I thought it was bigger than it was for a moment is all."

Harry's face darkened. As if it was his fault, she was crap. He had had a bloody Veela telling him nice his cock was, and others. He knew a lie, thanks to constant and very low level sensing of the world around him, and they were not lying. He also realized Cho did not mean it like that, but there were some things you did not say to a man whilst he had his cock in your hand. Insulting his size at anytime wasn't exactly a nice thing, no matter how much she did not mean it the way it sounded. He took a breath, wondering if he should just tell her to piss off, but he then looked at her, noticing that her nipples were as hard as rocks, she was obviously turned on, fancied him and, frankly, ready for action. Why on earth would he turn that away?

Then she moved her arm in the wrong direction shooting pain from his groin upwards as she had just hit him in the balls and wrenched his shaft at the same time. "OW!" he said again.

"This is harder than it sounds," she said to herself.

"Kiss me," he said, trying to think of anyway to stop her doing what she was doing without undue hurt for either of them.

She smiled and slithered up his body. 'Okay,' he thought, 'This is better, hot body pressed against mine, she can at least kiss and my dick is pressing into her thigh. Much better, of course there is one thing she cannot possibly fuck up... I hope,' He grabbed her by the hips and held her in position.

"Oh yes... yes," she said smiling at him. "Do it, put your thing inside me."

Harry grimaced, which she did not see since she had her eyes closed. She was trembling in his grip and quite obviously wanted this. He lowered her down, her labia parted for him and he slid into her heat smoothly. She was as wet as the morning dew, thankfully.

"Oh fuck," she breathed.

Harry frowned slightly when he realized he had not met any resistance on the way in, which could just mean she rode horses or something. Not that he particularly cared if she WAS a virgin, but he would never have guessed she had any experience from the way things had gone so far.

Perhaps being with Fleur had ruined him for other women. She had been heavenly, to put it mildly. Cho was tight, though, and hot, and wet. She rocked her hips sharply and Harry felt a wash of pleasure.

Her eyes were closed and she was biting her lip slightly. It was a nice view from where Harry was sitting. She bucked into him again, and again, then twisted a little violently, causing him to wince slightly, she pulled up his length and tried to ram back down again, but she went too far and it slipped out, a totally the wrong angle for re-entry, and he whacked into a solid surface instead of a nice moist opening.

"SHIT!" Harry said.

"Shhh, Shhh," Cho purred, reaching down and guiding him back in.

Harry let out a slight sigh, letting her bounce on top of him, but now controlling how far she pulled up with his hands on her hips. By this point, he was pretty pissed off with the entire thing. He found his mind wandering, to the point that he softened slightly, not that she appeared to notice. He found himself looking round the room instead. He had never thought a person could get BORED during sex.

"Oh baby, that's so good, you're fucking me sooo gooood," she whimpered.

Harry just looked at her as if she were mad.

"Is my sweet little snatch tight enough for you, big boy?" She asked, apparently in a world of her own. Anyone else and that could have been sexy.

"It's so BIG and HARD inside of me," she went on.

'Oh god, doesn't she EVER shut up!' Harry thought to himself.

"Is it GOOD for you baby?" She asked.

"Yeah, right, Cho, fan-bloody-tastic," he murmured sarcastically; quite obviously she was not in a state to hear him right then.

She began to thrash around on his lap, her hair flying all over the place and hitting him in the eye several times. "Bang me HARD!" She screamed at the top of her voice.

Harry actually started to laugh before he caught himself. He started to run a memory of doing this the right way with Fleur on a loop in his head, but he was a multitasking sort of person these days. It was, however, enough to keep him hard. Fleur could make the dead hard, Still, it did not stop him watching Cho's gyrations with more than a little worry.

"BANG, BANG, YEAH!"

Harry repressed another laugh.

"Oh such a big wand!"

Harry was trying so very hard not to laugh it was starting to hurt.

He looked around the room for a distraction.

"PLEASE, MR POTTER, CAN I HAVE MORE!"

Harry cut her an askance look. He could not believe that had just come out of her mouth.

"Ohh, Ohh baby, yeah."

His eyes were wide and sparkling with humour by this point.

Then she started to yelp like a dog.

"HA!" He laughed aloud.

"YEAH!"

"HA!"

"BABY, BANG, BANG"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA," he laughed out amazingly loudly.

Cho was totally away with it by now though. She seemed to take it as encouragement actually.

"OHH BANG," she thrust her hips hard, "BANG," and again, twisting slightly too hard and causing him to not only stop laughing but also wince in actual pain. Then she started hopping from side to side on his shaft.

Harry shot her a slightly horrified look. Just when he thought it could not get any worse, there she went and made it worse. He guided her back on course with his hands, stopping wincing as she got back a more usual movement. She honestly did not seem to care if he was enjoying himself; she just seemed to assume he was. He did not think he had ever met anyone quite so selfish in or out of the 'bedroom'

Her body thrashed wildly. "BOOM, BOOM, BANG, BANG!"

Harry rolled his eyes and looked to the heavens. This was getting ridiculous. If it were not for a more... pleasant memory, he would not even be erect anymore. He briefly wondered if he could stimulate himself as he did women. He took a hand off Cho and it lit up with power. He pressed it to his thigh- not even a tickle.

He let out a sigh and put his hand back on Cho...

She SCREAMED in orgasm and shuddered like a live wire.

"Whoops," Harry said realizing he had not capped his power before putting it back on her naked flesh.

She flopped to one side.

"OW, GOD DAMN IT!" He swore as she had still had him inside when she had done it.

"At least it's over, I suppose," he said after checking her over and realizing she was out for the count.

Laughter, again... Harry narrowed his eyes, clicked his finger and Cho was sent back to her bed, fully dressed. He had no wish to deal with her any longer.

He looked around, reaching up and adjusting his glasses to see though most forms of invisibility.

What he found surprised him somewhat.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Tracey Davis was sat on a chair in one corner of the room, apparently naked under her cloak, laughing fit to burst but trying to hold it in.

"I think you'd better tell me what the FUCK you're doing in here Tracey," Harry said in a dangerous tone of voice.

That stopped her laughing.

"You can see me?" she asked, surprised.

"I can now!" he said. "I bloody didn't before."

"Oh Potter that was such a good show, I've never laughed so hard."

Harry's lips quirked slightly. "What. Are, You. Doing, Here." he ground out.

She shrugged, "I come here sometimes, have done since first year. I was wandering the hallways and found this place."

Harry frowned, "That's not possible... Unless..."

"I'm a Parselmouth," she said in the language itself.

"Bloody Hell" he whispered, "I thought I was the only one," he told her.

"I know that. I'm not bloody stupid enough to talk down a snake in front of most of the school," she told him primly. "Honestly Potter have you no sense."

"I didn't know it was supposed to be a bad thing."

"It's not. Just ... It has a bad name is all."

"Wow... Another Parselmouth... That's kind of cool actually," he said after a moment. Then looked angry, "but what the fuck Tracey... That was kind of a private moment. How long have you been spying on me?"

"I was here when you brought Brown here for the first time. You put on such a good show I just HAD to check back in on you. On a regular basis, then things got boring recently but I did not give up hope. Truthfully I thought I'd be seeing you with Patel tonight after breakfast," she told him with a smirk.

Harry glowered at her.

"Oh don't be such a sour puss. What's the harm?" she asked, crossing her arms and legs. This was quite distracting since he could see through her cloak and she was very naked and very attractive. Anger won out though.

"Harm? Apart from my privacy, have you told anyone else? These girls have reputations to worry about, not to mention the fact I doubt they'd enjoy you watching a ... intimate moment."

She smirked at him maddeningly.

"This is serious Tracey. I dunno... I should report you or something."

Tracey laughed, "And tell everyone what you've been up to? Ruin those reputations you're worried about and make yourself look like a big pervert in the process?"

Harry had to concede that point. "You can't do this again," he said firmly.

"On the other hand I could tell people what you are up to."

"I'd tell them how you are here." he retorted.

"We're at an impasse then?" she said.

Harry huffed, "You're not even slightly sorry are you?"

She shook her head at him.

He looked at her and away again. "Look do you think you could slip out of the cloak and put my coat on while we talk."

"I'm naked under this cloak Potter"

"Yes I can see that" Harry said diverting his gaze.

"Turn around" she snapped.

He did so, "Not so happy when the shoes on the other foot are we Tracey"

He heard the rustle of material fitting the floor and the slither of his coat being pulled off the chair it was resting on. "I'm fine now," she said.

"Take a seat why don't you" he said pointing to the couch.

She did so. "It's still warm," she said with a smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes. "This is a sticky situation and no mistake Tracey. This was my safe haven; I mean how often have you sat there and watched me even when I wasn't doing... anything?"

She shrugged, "A few times. You're fascinating to watch Potter." She sighed, "There's something about you that makes you wonder. Let alone the fact you appear to be trying to steal my girlfriend."

Harry blinked at her, "What?"

"Daphne" she said simple, though there seemed to be no anger behind her words or tone. This was passing odd to Harry.

"Oh... That. Look I didn't know she was with anyone." Harry said. Then realized that Tracey was somehow diverting him from the point

"It's okay... She has just realized that she might not be so gay as she thought is all. I am not surprised. It happens from time to time. Let's face it the men in Slytherin at the moment leave a lot to be desired. The only one in our year worth a damn is Blaise and he's so- deep. It's hard to know what he's thinking or if he's even interested in girls frankly."

Harry blinked at that bit of information. Then he shook it off. "Look, this has to stop." he said finally.

"Does it?" she said.

"What?"

"I mean, why not? Is it doing any harm? No one knows, you are not about to tell anyone and nor am I. Why not let the Status Quo carry on?"

Harry looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"Don't look at me like that Potter. Look... I like to watch. I will not lie. It appears I'm not as gay as I thought either and frankly some of the times you've had in here have ... well they brought me off pretty fucking hard. Harder that I thought that is for sure. Merlin the last time you had Brown in here I was sure you were going to fuck her. I thought she was going to jump your bones there and then actually. But you were so noble back then. Now you seem- more primal about it all and that's a turn on all by itself."

Harry did not know what to say, so say nothing is what he did.

"So... I've got a proposition for you that I think you'll find mutually beneficial," she said, sitting back and crossing her legs. The coat sliding to show a toned leg in almost its entirety, Harry smiled at the sight. "Do you find me attractive Harry?" she asked, her tone obviously was not looking for affirmation.

"Yes" he said simply.

"I'll be yours, to do with whatever you wish. As long as you let me watch you fuck, or just play with, others."

Harry tilted his head at her.

"I'll be good that I promise you," she said with no hint of shyness.

"Mmm" he hemmed.

"Come on, I can see you're interested. I mean Harry... You're hard, very hard." she said, breathing in and licking her lips.

Harry blinked and realized he was still naked himself. He refused to blush this time though. Instead, he put a pillow in his lap. This caused Tracey to laugh slightly. "That's not helping much. SUCH A BIG WAND" she said mockingly.

Harry was forced to laugh.

"Poor Boy, you actually looked like you were in pain sometimes."

"Truthfully I was." he told her, relaxing slightly.

"But Harry... You have to think of it like this... You just fucked the Head Girl.," she said with a smile. "The Head Girl... Cho I am so prissy Chang. Paragon of virtue"

"Trust me, she's no Paragon."

"What ever do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"First I want an Oath" he said, "That you will not tell anyone about what you've seen, or will see here. Or repeat anything either. Unless they already know a magically binding oath at that"

Tracey narrowed her eyes at him in thought. "Okay..." she said, "I want the same, that you'll tell no one what we get up to, or that I watch unless they already know of course. Can't have our magic being broken when we talk to each other about this." she said with a smirk.

"My thoughts exactly"

Tracey fished around in her invisibility cloak and retrieved her wand. She quirked an eyebrow at him, he nodded at her, "Left Hand Pocket."

She smiled at him, "Get it yourself," she said in a purr.

Harry smirked at her, lent forward and did exactly that. Looking her in the eye the entire time.

"Most would've copped a feel at that invitation," she said.

"I figure I'll be able to explore all I like after we're done."

"You're really going to do this? How fabulous!" she smiled.

They exchanged vows.

Harry held out his hand, she took it and they shook too, "Deal" they said together. A flash sparked from between their hands and Tracey looked surprised.

"I don't always need a wand," he said with a smirk.

"A magically binding deal, sneaky Potter sneaky, almost Slytherin of you in fact"

"How about you call me Harry for starters"

"Okay, Harry, what did you mean?"

"About Cho?" he said and got a nod, "No hymen." he said simply. "I wasn't the first up there."

Tracey laughed, "Is that what you're basing this on? No hymen. Oh poor boy you know so little about witches."

"What have I missed this time?" he asked with a sigh.

She put her wand in her palm. "This is top secret and covered by our oath."

"Everything here is." he told her.

She smirked. "Engorgio" she intoned. The wand thickened and grew slightly.

Harry's eyes widened, "You mean..."

She nodded with a smile, "Virgin or not you'll be hard pressed to find a girl in this school with her Hymen in place. Watch this... Vibretto" she said and there was a faint buzzing noise.

"Take it," she said.

Harry did so, eyes getting even wider when he picked up her wand. It was vibrating madly. "That feels... nice?"

She laughed, "Its VERY nice." she told him taking her wand back. "Normally I use this watching you. Of course, I do not normally forget the silencing spell. I was just so shocked to see Cho Chang on her knees before you."

"Came in late then" he said.

"That looked painful actually."

"It hurt like hell at times." he admitted.

"Then that hand job, smacking you and herself in the face. That was bloody hilarious."

"Not from my angle it wasn't" Harry said grumpily.

Tracey laughed at him. "When she got on your lap though- Then things REALLY started to get going. She's a freak."

"She's bloody dangerous is what she is."

"The things she was saying to you. Dear Merlin they were funny. PLEASE MR POTTER CAN I HAVE MORE!" she repeated laughing. "How did you stay hard?"

"A good memory"

"So you were literally thinking of someone else," she laughed. "Then you started laughing at her and she didn't even notice. The Fan-Bloody-Tastic comment will go down in the annuals of things NOT to say during sex. If she'd heard that; you'd be toast," she told him half seriously.

"Oh and 'I thought it was bigger' was a good thing to say?" he asked laughing.

"I'm guessing Miss Chang will NOT be making a repeat performance," she said. "Shame, seriously hot body on her"

"I'm not sure to be honest. I'm not entirely sure I could get rid of her that easily." he said with a put upon sigh.

"You could always try taking her from behind. You should be able to control her motion better that way and the view won't be half bad either." Tracey suggested.

"That's an idea. Would you want to see her again?" he asked.

"If you can control her a bit then I think I could get off on the view alone. Very nice body" Tracey told him.

"I might give it another shot then."

"I've got to ask though. What was with the glowing hand? Whatever it was blew her brains out. I've never seen anyone come so fast or hard."

Harry smiled slightly, "Just a thing I can do."

"I think I'd like to ... feel that myself," she said to him.

Harry shrugged, "I didn't mean to blast her like that. I was actually hoping it would work on me. But if you want..."

Tracey nodded, "Sure." she said. "Need me to do anything."

Harry shook his head and laid his hand on her thigh, "Just your skin." he said, and slowly amped up the power. Her eyelids fluttered and then she moaned slightly. Shifting in her seat, she arched her back and groaned a little louder. Then Harry let her have it, but nowhere near, the amount he unknowingly had given Cho. "Oh!" she said in surprise shuddering beneath his touch. "Oh... baby..." she said softly in a drawn out sigh.

"That's what I can do." he said, "It's nice to watch a woman orgasm. But sometimes I wish they wouldn't faint afterwards."

"I'm still awake," she told him, her eyes lust filled.

"I went slowly," he told her.

"You can do more?" she asked, eyes wide.

"How many times do you want to pop off?" he asked seriously.

"I dunno I've gone a fair few in the past. It would take some beating. If you do- I'll make it worth your while."

Harry's hand moved upwards slightly. "One" he said and his power pulsed. She quivered hard, eyes closing and mouth dropping open

"Two" he said, pulsing again. She made an inarticulate sound in the back of her throat.

"Three" he intoned, her body stiffened and sagged her eyes in the back of her head and crying out in pleasure.

"Four"

Tracey's leg dropped off the other one causing him to loose contact for a moment. She was clawing at his coat which was done up tightly around her form.

"Five" he said, touching the closest leg and smirking as she shuddered and gasped under his grip.

"Six" he told her, but she was beyond being able to hear him.

... ... ... ...

"Sixteen" Harry said with a large smirk. Tracey was a mess, limbs all over the place, sweat on her brow and hair sticking to her face. She had actually bitten her lip and blood was free flowing down her cheek.

"Seven..."

"Enough!" she rasped out hoarsely. "Enough" she said panting hard.

Harry kept his hand on her thigh, it felt nice, but did not use his power at all.

"Sweet Morgana" she breathed. "I'm so yours," she told him. "Did you do something like that to Daph? Is that why she's so besotted with you?"

"I just kissed her... She then slapped me so hard my teeth rattled," he told her.

Tracey laughed slightly. "Phew!" she said after a moment. "I think I beat my record by ten or so. I've made a right mess of your coat."

"Cleaning charms, so not a problem."

"My nipples hurt they're so hard."

"Really?" Harry asked in interest.

She chuckled, undid a few buttons and showed him. Her good-sized breast tipped with a rock hard dark nipple. "See" she said, promptly putting away the soft flesh.

Harry looked disappointed.

"Give me a minute lover boy and you can take a closer look. Touch me there right now and I'm likely to explode."

Harry chuckled and removed his hand, "Wouldn't want that now would we?" he said.

"So... do you ever use the bedroom? There are two you know?"

"I like it here, plenty of space. Moreover, a bedroom makes it obvious what you have in mind. Here it's a surprise."

She laughed at him. "Had a bath yet?"

"Pretty fantastic isn't it."

"Damn missed that show then," she said with a mock pout.

Harry chuckled, "Found the secret porn stash yet?" he asked.

She cocked her head at him. "WHAT?" she asked.

Harry smirked, "You've got to see this... In fact, I think it will be right useful for what you want. Better than an invisibility cloak and a chair that's for sure."

"What are you on about?" she asked.

"Come with me" Harry said.

"You think I can walk after that?" she asked.

Harry smirked, put his hands under her leg and back. Since she was sprawled on one end of the sofa, and lifted her easily into his arms. Then stood up and walked off with her.

"My, my, strong fella aren't you" she commented with a purr. "What I want to know is when you were able to put your trousers back on..."

"You were pretty out of it at around 11, so I paused for a moment to let you collect yourself," Harry said with a smirk.

"You did? I didn't even notice," she admitted with a chuckle.

"Here we are-" he told her.

"Taking me to the bedroom?" she asked, "We're not quite there yet," she added in a purr.

Harry shook his head. "Open" he hissed.

Tracey got a startled bunny expression as the wall slid up to show a small room.

"What?" she asked her voice tinged with wonder.

Harry smirked, "This is Salazar's personal cubby hole. Check it out," he said carrying her into the room and placing her gently onto the comfortable armchair.

"What am I looking at?" she asked.

Harry touched the mirror. He had previously set it to be blank. Now it cleared and Tracey could clearly see through into the living area. Her eyebrow rose and a smirk twisted her full lips.

"Please also note that portrait," Harry said nodding off into the corner. "And the other two mirrors. One leads to the master bedroom and the second to the guest. Personally, I am surprised the old perv did not have the bathroom done as well. Perhaps because he had run out of walls, though he could have lost the portrait," Harry said with a growing smirk.

"This is ... what's that word you've been using... Cool" she said her eyes glinting with humour.

"I figure this will suit your purposes better non?" he said then shook himself, "I mean... no?"

She smirked, "Oui" She settled back in the chair, one leg draping over the other. She shifted her backside around a little and settled into the chair. "Scary thought... He probably spent some time wanking in here you do realize?"

Harry made a face, "That's fairly unpleasant a thought."

She laughed, quite heartily. She was a different person with the shields down, as it were. Very attractive, well, more so than she already had been, there was quite a lot of life going on behind her eyes and Harry liked that in a girl. He knew that he probably should not be even thinking about doing this. However, with the oaths it was about as safe as he could make it. In addition, he really did not see another choice. She could quite easily say she had stumbled across the place and seen him in the act with various girls. It would not do the girls reputations any good. He did not much care for his own. He would do the deed one way or the other. The deed being taking out snake face

Of course, the 'deal' had certain benefits. Like Tracey herself for one thing, she was steaming hot sat there in his coat with one long leg over the other and flashing skin, her eyes filled with passion and sweating slightly. Even the blood was kind of a turn on. Though he should do something about that, he reached out and ran a thumb over her lip, a soft wash of magic hitting her and warming her face. Once he had pulled away, the pain from her lip receded and it was a simple matter of cleaning the blood away with her tongue.

"Thanks" she said with a saucy smile.

Harry responded in kind.

"So... Who else do you think you can get here?" Tracey asked.

Harry shrugged, "Not sure..." he said slowly.

"Want me to guess for you," she said, sliding back in the chair slightly and showing even more leg to his hungry gaze. "Apart from me that is." she added.

Harry looked her in the eyes, possibly the most erotic part of the body. At least he thought so. They held emotion so well, passion, desire, even anger and the less 'attractive' emotions. It was all there to view.

"From the looks she keeps shooting you... Lavender Brown would quite like to get back in here."

"Not a chance on that one. I would not touch her with a barge pole while she is with Ron. Plus, frankly, she's not entirely stable that one."

Tracey chuckled, "Fair enough... Parvati Patel."

Harry had to concede that one. It was indeed quite likely she would be making a visit here soon. "Not for much more than kissing though would be my guess." he told her "Not that I mind just kissing though." he added as an after thought.

"Kissing is good. But I'm fairly sure she'd be up for more if ... encouraged." Tracey smiled, "That touch of yours is... divine and would definitely lead a girl to do more than she thought she might at first." she informed him.

"Oh..." Harry said.

"I'm betting that's why Brown was so ... eager."

"Hmm" Harry said, thinking hard.

"What about Granger?"

"I'm not sure I could live with someone watching her if I did. She is my friend and she would be rightfully furious if she ever found out. The last thing I want to do is ruin my friendship with her. The things going on now are bad enough. Sorry."

Tracey shrugged, "That's fine. You have to be allowed a certain amount of leeway after all."

"Daphne would come down here if I helped her along" she added after a pause.

Now that was a thought he could get behind. Or on top of, beside, whatever, "aren't you two..."

"Lovers?" she asked, at his nod she continued, "We are but we've always told each other we're free to see other people should the need arise. Recently in particular I have found myself affirming this factoid to her. She wants you in a bad way Harry. I'm not sure exactly what you did to her, but whatever it is worked its way into her head."

"I kissed her when she was railing at me. I was pretty fed up with being shouted at by beautiful women and decided to shut her up. She was just getting into it when Malfoy walked up. Then she apologized to me, hauled off, and rattled my jaw a bit. Hell of a slap on her."

"That girl... Sarah something, she is pretty into you. I saw the looks she was giving you during your prank. Plus she's been giving you some pretty hot covert glances since."

Harry shook his head. "I made a promise that I can't explain in full at the moment and she's seriously out of bounds to me. Even is she is interested."

"Limiting your self Harry?"

"I'm happy with my lot in life. You have already mentioned several amazing looking girls that might be interested in spending some... alone time with me. Not to mention you yourself. I can't exactly complain." Harry said shooting her a charming smile.

"Come sit where I am," she purred getting up.

Harry shot her a confused look, but did as he was asked. Once he was sat down, she stepped in front of him and began to unbutton his coat. His eyes became molten the more flesh that was exposed, finally she shrugged it off her shoulders and stood before him naked. She leaned forward and kissed him, her breasts swinging forward slightly as she did so. He moaned slightly at the sight and the kiss, she also moaned. The passion was coming off Harry in waves.

Then she knelt before him and started to work his belt and fly. Pulling down his trousers with little effort and smiling at his already rigid cock. Tracey licked her lips and sank her head towards his dick.

"Are you sure about this?" Harry said, putting a hand on her shoulder to make her pause.

"Very" she purred silkily.

He gladly released her and smiled as the heat of her mouth wrapped around his crown and her lips caressed him. He let out a breath as she sucked hard and slid down a bit.

A pretty much, to this point, self-proclaimed lesbian was giving him better head than Cho. What did that say about the poor girl?

'This is more like it' Harry decided with a smile, his head leaning back as he just enjoyed the sensations.

-oOo-

Harry could not help but glance across at Tracey on the Slytherin table. Their eyes met and a slight spark leapt between them. Then a secret smile was shared and the both looked away. He turned his attention back to the conversation that was happening around him. Dean was raving about Capalle Zabini already. Which was of no real shock and the rest of the table was straining to hear him.

"What about you 'Mione?" Harry asked, "Fancy a crack at it?" he asked, in a voice pitched for private conversation. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say.

She shook her head, "I'm not really all that artistic. Don't get me wrong the theory fascinates me, but the practical application just eludes me."

"I'm working as an assistant for that Class too." he told her offhandedly, "I've got no artistic talent at all, but I'm still going to have a crack at it."

Hermione looked at him steadily. "I fail to see how you can say that?"

"Say what?" he asked confused.

"That you have no talent; artistically speaking. Not after Parv's new favourite thing in the entire world."

"I've said this a few times now. Thanks to some mental organization and the Occlumancy, I am able to bring up an image from MEMORY and recreate it. However, it only works with the clay. I certainly couldn't use any other medium to recreate one."

'Whoops' he suddenly thought to himself.

"Memory?" she asked for clarification. Looking thoughtful

"Hmm, these eggs are great today aren't they?"

She looked at him steadily for a long moment. "You went clubbing with her didn't you?"

"Not exactly" he said with a resigned sigh. "I was out at a club and ran into her and Lavender. We spent the evening together and had a great time. It was the first time I'd been out like that and that is where I picked up a liking for club music."

"Hmmm" she said, obviously thinking hard and putting pieces of the puzzle together.

Frankly, he would prefer if she did not. Therefore, he did something unexpected. To himself and her, he put his hand under the table and onto her leg, finding bare flesh quickly.

Seamus flew backwards off his chair as she jerked in her seat hard, sending a shiver through the table. Her thoughts though went flying all over the place temporarily derailing her totally.

Seamus got up and glared at Harry, "You NEED to get that problem sorted mate." he said. Thinking it was Harry, despite the fact there was no way that Harry could have kicked him off his chair without hitting his knee first.

A little power flared out of Harry unconsciously; unfortunately, he still had his hand on her knee.

"Ohh Merlin" she moaned a beatific smile crossing her face and head sagging onto Harry's shoulder.

Harry quickly removed his hand.

"You alright 'Mione?" Ron asked curiously.

"Very" Hermione purred.

Ron sort of blinked at her.

Harry made the mistake of looking across the hall and into Tracey's eyes. She was dying of laughter; Daphne asking her what ever were the matter and a few of her housemates looking at her in concern.

Hermione got herself back under control and gave Harry a slight smile that was half-curious and half-encouraging.

Harry just shot her a half-apologetic smile. He REALLY had not meant to do that. He was just a little ticked that Seamus had automatically thought it was him, though he supposed he should blame him.

"Seriously though mate, you should get Hermione to look at that." Seamus said, still a bit grumpy.

"I will," Harry said with a half smile.

"Just say the word Harry," Hermione said in a soft tone of voice. "Let me know when you ... want ... me."

Harry smiled at her. Wondering exactly how he was going to get himself out of this particular mess.

Just then the postal owls swept into the room.

Harry looked up to see a bright lime green owl diving towards him. It landed hard on the table before him and glared at him. Not that he could blame it, poor thing. It obviously was not happy with its 'paint' job. "Something for me?" he asked with a slight smile.

The owl dropped its parcel and put out its leg.

Harry took the note, deciding to read that first.

[  
Harry,

Here is the first test model of the 'mobile'. We have most of the ideas you had working, including the text message thing. Just jot down a message on some parchment and push into the main area. When you receive one, it will buzz and an image of the text will be displayed.

Let us know if you think of anything else, oh partner of ours,

Yours

Gred and Forge.

Harry smirked at the message and reached for the package.

"Who would do that to an owl?" Hermione asked, outraged on its behalf.

"Take a wild guess 'Mione." Harry said with a smirk.

"It has to be the twins," she said with a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Got it in one luv," he said with a smirk. He carefully un-wrapped the parcel and frowned at what appeared.

"Is that a clam shell?" Hermione asked.

"Looks like one. Not quite what I had in mind I'll admit." Harry said cautiously.

"What's not like you'd imagined?" Ron asked, looking over.

Harry held up the clamshell looking device. "This" he said simply.

"'Er what's that?" Ron asked.

"Something the twins and I are working on. Well mostly the twins actually" Harry said. Looking at the 'manual' that had been supplied. It was written by the twins themselves and was as funny as it was informative. Harry just skimmed over it though, as it was quite long and involved. He also noted that several sections were marked as WIP.

"What is it?" Lavender found herself asking despite the annoyance factor that her boyfriend was paying attention to something other than her. She was trying to make sure he had as little to do with her 'ex' as possible but it was a loosing battle at the moment.

"That's... difficult to describe." Harry said not really focusing on her very much. He flipped it open and noticed that it was as strange inside as it was out. A small keypad was inside and had wires all over the place. He shook his head. This would not do, at ALL. It was clunky, unattractive and ... weird, just like everything else the Wizarding world attempted to copy from the Muggle one. He tapped the 'Menu' key and an almost holographic looking display appeared in the top half of the clam.

It was fingertip controlled apparently so he tapped his finger on a few items and had a look through. They had managed to copy the general idea of muggle mobiles. Ring tones etc, with a twist typical of magic. It could play ANY piece of music you wanted. He knew there was quite a market for ring tones in the muggle world, so he would have to get them to change that. You could also customize the 'hand writing' or text messages so you could read them no matter how bad the original was. This was very cool actually.

"Anyone got any parchment?" he asked the table as a whole that were all looking at him. Hermione passed him some and a spare quill.

He jotted down a quick note telling the twins that he would be over during his next free period. Despite being on a quite difficult track, he was not too busy these days. Normally free periods were for study after all and he did not need to study at all. It was all pretty damn easy to him these days. The combined knowledge of some of the most learned men around had that advantage.

He then tied the note to the green owl and sent it on its way. He would have called the twins with the mobile but they had not given him their number.

"Hey Dean?" Harry said, thinking fast.

"Yes mate?" Dean said looking back at Harry and away from the hodgepodge device.

"Fancy making a few galleons?" Harry asked with a smile appearing on his face.

"Sure" Dean said, "What do you need?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. I'll need you to sign a NDA first."

"NDA?"

"Non disclosure agreement" Hermione filled in. "It's a legal document that basically says that you won't talk about what it covers with anyone."

Dean nodded, "I can do that."

"You should talk to Ms Zabini first." Harry said, "Get a decent idea of the fee you should charge for design work." He told the other student.

"Design work?"

"This" Harry said holding up the clam, "Is bloody ugly. I need a few different designs for it. First, I have to talk to the twins and find out some specs. Then we will talk properly. However, talk to Ms Zabini while I am doing that. In fact, see if she would be willing to do some work for me too. As long as she signs a NDA as well."

"Do you need a NDA Harry; after all you've just shown us all, this one." Hermione said. Still very mellow from earlier but her mind had already caught on quickly.

"Yes, but what is it?" Ron asked.

"Can't tell you mate. All will be revealed soon though." Harry said, "As for you Hermione you and I know what this is, but I don't think anyone else has caught on yet." he said with a smile.

She nodded at him, "I'll keep mum about it."

"Thanks" he said. He scarfed down some breakfast. "Double potions first isn't it?" he said.

"Yes" Hermione said then smirked, "Is Professor Slughorn still trying to get you to join one of his 'club' meetings?"

Harry nodded with a smirk, "He is. Figure I'll go and check one out eventually. He does talk highly of my mum after all. I figure I owe him one. It was me that persuaded him to work here after all."

She nodded, "It's interesting actually. An opportunity to mix with other houses. There are people from them all there."

"Should've figured he'd have the brightest witch in the school in his club. He like us all knows you are destined for great things 'Mione" Harry said with a smile.

She smiled back at him, with a hint of an invite in her eyes.

Harry looked around the hall and noticed they had garnered a fair bit of interest. He smirked slightly; it would help the marketing for Hogwarts Students to become interested in the product. He would have to get the twins to come up with something to drive up the interest here. He folded the clam away and put it away into a pocket, shrank the manual and pocketed that as well.

-oOo-

Harry appeared in the back room of WWW with a sparkle of lights and called out, "Hey honey's I'm HOME"

Fred poked his head around a door and smiled, "Do I even want to know how you got back here without me seeing?"

Harry smirked and shook his head.

"I'll get George" the twin said and went off to do exactly that.

It did not take them long to reappear and slouch on a couple of couches. "We got your note. Like the owl?" George asked with a smile.

"Very distinctive" Harry replied with a straight face, "Poor thing." he added with a chuckle.

"So what's wrong?" Fred asked, "Did you like it?"

"Actually guys...I've not seen it working you didn't give me your number."

They looked to each other and groaned. "Damn, knew we'd forgotten something" George said.

"Sorry about that Harry" Fred put in.

"So what's your number?" Harry asked.

"0000 789789" Fred said, "We've decided to start with a pretty big number to give ourselves plenty of room for expansion. There are not that many wizards compared to Muggles so I doubt we'll need as many number combinations as they do, still best to be sure. The number is basically meaningless actually." He nodded off to one side where there was an odd-looking construction. "That's the central holding place for the numbers to phone. But it works by Magical signature. Once the 'virgin' phone is connected to a user, the signature is recorded and sent back to that thing. Then matched with a number. Yours is 0000 200200 by the way. But you can just say a name and it 'dials' that person. Bit like Floo. The number is there basically for invoicing later on."

Harry nodded, "That makes sense I suppose. However, you have to do something about the way the thing looks. Our main market is for the ages 16 to 25 or so. Obviously, others will want one, but that is the main age I think. Most muggle mobiles are owned in that age group or there about. So it has got to be stylish. Looks are just as important as functionality."

Fred looked to his brother, "What do you think?"

George shrugged, "Doesn't really matter what it looks like, the main workings can be hidden away easily enough."

"Good, because I'm in the process of hiring a couple of designers." Harry said. "I'll pay them out of my money for this. But later on, we will need to get more designs. Oh and ring tones. There is a big market for buying ring tones in the Muggle world. We could talk to people like the Weird Sisters and get a license to use their music and 'sell' ring tones to people. Give them a cut of the money and all that. I notice at the moment that you can have ANYTHING. We should think about changing that."

The twins shared a look again. Then smiled, "I love it when Harry gives us new ways of making money." they said together.

Harry laughed. "Have you got a lawyer?" he asked.

They nodded at him.

"Get him on the Floo. We need him to make a document that will stop people talking about the design to others and if they do, they get sued from here to Africa and back. That way we can hire people now. Like the designers, I was talking about. Also, start getting together some staff. I am going to nip down to Gringotts in a minute and see if I can get a meeting with Fliptrask. Try to get things moving on that front. Or are you going to use the prepaid method alone?"

"Actually we were thinking about that. It's easier to do after all." Fred admitted.

"Mmm. See your point about that. How are you going to facilitate it?"

"Make a card that you slid into the reader slot and the phone unlocks for that many minutes. We were thinking of making text messages free."

"Actually most muggle phones charge for that, just not very much. I think text messages are a good source of income. In addition, we will be making Owls largely redundant for sending simple messages. So we need to make sure the network is hyper secure and more importantly put together some sort of fund for an owl sanctuary." Harry said walking back and forth, as he thought.

"Why?" the twins asked in eerie sync with each other.

"Public image" Harry replied quickly. "We'll be cutting down the number of owls required by half I'd say it would make us look good if we put something in place to look after the owls that will inevitably get dumped as a consequence. The method you have for text messaging is almost like Muggle e-mail. Muggle text messages are limited to about 120 characters or letters if you like. However, this method is limited to a length of parchment. We all know that they can be several feet long. So long, messages can be sent. I like that personally. It's instant for one thing and if we say protect that thing" he said nodding to the 'database' with a smirk. "By putting it under a Fidelius to make damn sure it is secure it will be an almost perfect method of communication."

"That's a pretty hefty ward scheme mate," Fred said.

"Not sure we could pull it off." George added.

"I think I can." Harry said, "I know how and honestly it's not that difficult as long as you've got enough power to back it up. In fact, I suggest you both learn Occlumancy straight away. That way you can protect its location. I'll get you the books you'll need and personally train you if you like?"

They both nodded.

"So it's okay if I get some designs done?"

They both nodded again, then, "You're our partner in this Harry, so as long as we all know what we're doing you're free to do as you like." Fred told him.

Harry flashed them a smile, "Thanks guys."

"Not a problem Harry. You're as good as family to us."

Harry smiled at them, checking his watch quickly. "Well since I don't need to talk to Fliptrask there is one other thing..."

"Go on" George said nervously.

"Why so nervous?" Harry asked bemused.

"Every time you have an idea it tends to rock the Wizarding world mate," Fred said with a smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Are you telling me you don't want to make money?" he asked.

"Oh no, that's always good." George said with a laugh.

"Okay, well you know that CD charm I made?" Harry said.

They nodded at him.

"It's gotten pretty popular. In fact, it has spread across the Muggle born like crazy. I KNOW the Purebloods are interested as well. What we need to do though, is bring CD's into the Wizarding world. They just don not know how to get a hold of the CD's, but we can make that easy for them don't you think? I suggest you mail, not owl, mail someone like EMI in the Muggle world and wholesale companies and set up a few racks of various music in the store."

The twins exchanged another glance, and then smiled. "I think we can do that. We already have a few contacts with Muggles for some of our Pranking gear. So we know what to do already. What about Wizarding music though?"

Harry shrugged, "Not sure about that. I am sure groups like the weird sisters and all that would be interested in getting in on the act. Do you know how to contact groups like that?" he asked.

"Not yet but we will by the end of the day." George said.

"Okay, well they'll need to master a CD and then get it copied. This will be tricky actually because of the statute of secrecy." Harry said pacing again. "Shit, I'm not sure what to do about this one," he admitted.

"Leave this one to us mate" Fred said after a silent conversation with his twin, "We'll sort it out. Even if we have to hire a recording place in secret and then buy some equipment for making CD's ourselves."

"Let me know costs and I'll pay on a similar deal to the phones ok?" Harry said.

"Will do Harry. Now you'd better get back before anyone notices that you're not there." George told him.

Harry smirked, "I'm on a free." he said, "But still, I suppose I should at least write up my homework at some point."

They shared a laugh for a minute.

"Okay, I've actually got a couple of things I could do before getting back to school. If you need me, just call me," Harry said brandishing his mobile.

"Okay Harry, see you soon no doubt." Fred said

"I expect you'll have more work for us soon" George put in with a smirk.

Harry smirked at them and left.

They looked at each other. "What do you think he'll think of next?" Fred asked.

"No idea, but I'll bet its interesting" George put forth.

-oOo-

No sooner had he arrived back in Hogwarts than an Adfero hit Harry in the forehead. His face creased into a worried frown and he took to his heels. He bypassed the halls of the ancient learning establishment in quick time and arrived at Professor McGonagall's classroom in record time.

"What's up?" he said even as he saw what was the matter. "Oh" he said immediately moving towards the front of the class.

A very worried looking Minerva was standing beside an equally worried looking Hannah Abbot and her friend Susan Bones was flat out on the floor. He power was leaking like hell and she was obviously out for the count.

"We were working on the exercises you taught us." McGonagall said, "But something has happened to Miss Bones during the course of the practice."

Harry nodded and knelt beside the insensate Hufflepuff. "Her power levels are bleeding out all over the place" he said, holding out a hand above her.

"We've not been able to get close to her," Hannah said with tears in her eyes.

The rest of the class was equally as worried. A mixed bag of Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaws they were quite tight as classes went and Susan was a well-liked student.

"You've sent for the nurse?" Harry asked, fiddling with his glasses to see into the arcane and the magical field around Susan.

"Of course, I just thought you may be able to help." The Professor told him.

"I can" Harry said with certainty. His own power levels flared dramatically and his hand moved down towards Susan. There was a visible clash of fields shown as a white pulse as his hand began to pass through the field. "Back off" he said to Hannah and the teacher, "This could get weird."

McGonagall pulled back the Hufflepuff and stood well back. The rest of the class also moved so that everyone was standing back against the walls. It was as well they did as the clash of fields caused nearby desks to change spontaneously into various small furry animals and occasionally into odd-looking objects. Harry himself though virtually either ignored the random magic as it hit his own aura and was diverted off to the side or swallowed completely.

When his hand finally met the body of Susan, he closed his eyes and concentrated. A tendril of thought passed through the physical connection and into her body.

The class watched transfixed as Harry became very still and seemed to ignore the large amounts of random magic swirling around in the classroom.

Madam Pomphrey arrived and took in the scene in a blink of an eye. It did not help much though. "What ever is going on?" she asked.

"Susan lost control of her magic," Harry said, surprising them all as he had seemed to be in some sort of trance. Around them, the field of wild magic seemed to pulse a couple of times and begin to fade.

Internally Susan was stood before a white wall, scared out of her mind at its raw power and not having the first clue what to do. She did not seem to be able to control it in the least. It was a force of nature and laughed at her will instead of bowing to it. She thought she was going to be eaten alive to be honest.

Then suddenly out of the mist came a form. She looked at it in confusion, not understanding who it could be. Eventually the form became more solid and her mouth dropped open. "Harry?" she said in surprise.

"Hey Susan, having a problem?" he asked jovially. Then looked at the wall of white that surrounded them. "You're scared," he noted.

"Of course I'm bloody scared look at it!" she virtually screamed.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," he told her calmly

She just looked at him as if he were insane.

"I'm serious. This place, it's yours to control," he told her. "So control it."

"I can't," she whimpered.

Harry looked at her crossly. "So you're not even going to try?" he said angrily.

"But it's too strong." she told him.

"If you truly believe that, then you're going to be stuck here for the rest of your life," he told her flatly.

She quailed at the thought.

"Isn't there something you'd rather be doing right now?" he asked, sounding almost amused.

"Of course there is!" she spat at him, her fear turning to annoyance.

"Or is it that a little Hufflepuff can't handle it?" he asked sounding very arrogant. "Perhaps the Slytherin's are right about you. That you are worth nothing, just a bunch of useless Duffers. The house of students that no other house would want" he purred at her dangerously.

Sarah frowned, starting to get angry. No one badmouthed her house. She was Hufflepuff, a loyal and true student. They were not nothings. They were not the left over's. They had their own proud history of magical giants and success stories. How dare he talk about them like that?

"Poor little Susan, so scared of everything that she can't even handle a little bit of magic. And it really isn't a very impressive amount of magic at that." Harry goaded her. "God I bet Malfoy has more magic than this and I know he can tap into it. Are you no better than a Malfoy?" he asked her in that same annoying tone of voice.

"Shut up Potter!" she spat at him, her anger beginning to get going.

"Pfft. Why should I" he asked, "It's not like you can do anything about it, not even here. Where you are supposed to be in total control," he purred at her.

Her eyes flashed angrily at him. Her magic flared and snapped out hitting him hard.

In the real world, the entire room was concerned to see a snap of power hit Harry full force. He shook under the onslaught but refused to let go. However, strangely enough a smile did appear on his corporeal face.

Internally he said, "Well, well" in his best Snape sneer. "The little Hufflepuff isn't quite as useless as she appears."

Susan turned on him, her magic curling around her like a well-loved pet. Her anger taming it where her rational self could not.

"Command it Susan, bend it to your will. Aren't Duffers supposed to be loyal or something?" he asked with an arrogant smirk on his face. "Make me leave, use your magic and make me stop"

Susan's nostrils flared in anger and she held out her hand, fingers splayed. Her magic leapt to her will and hit Harry full force. Consequently melding with her in the process. Externally the wild magic ceased and the field that surrounded her faded away. Harry was also sent flying across the room. Fast reflexes and the knowledge of what was about to happen saved him. He flipped lazily over and landed on his feet, sliding a couple of feet and he had a big fat smile on his face.

Susan Bones awoke and stood up with anger leaking from every pore. "You unmitigated bastard" she spat at the Boy Who Lived.

Harry just smiled at her, "Well done." he said.

Her snarl became a frown, "What?"

"You did it. You controlled your power and didn't let it control you," he told her. "25 points to Hufflepuff." he added as an after thought.

Susan looked very confused. "But all those things you said?" she asked.

Harry just smirked at her.

"You're still a bastard," she said, with a lot less heat than before.

"You don't think I meant all that do you," he said, still smiling, "I happen to like the qualities that make up a Hufflepuff. Loyalty and unwavering strength of conviction and I think 'Puffs would make some of the best friends," he told her, standing up straight and walking over to her.

Susan began to shake so he pulled her into a hug, "Shhh" he purred, "its okay, you're safe now. It'll never control you again." he told her, stroking her hair.

The class looked at the pair in shock. Harry looked over at the school nurse, "A couple of Pepper up potions and some rest are in order here," he told her. "Magical exhaustion and a bit of a fright." he informed her.

She nodded

"What happened?" McGonagall asked.

"It just got away from her is all. I suggest that if you're going to teach this from now on that you learn some Legimancy." Harry said gently. "Just in case. It is my fault really. I was so hyped up on the successes we've had I forgot what could happen if things got out of hand."

The deputy head merely nodded. She would make damn sure she followed his advice and that she would be significantly more careful from now on.

Hannah hovered near her friend and Harry handed off Susan to her who was immediately engulfed in a big hug. He stepped back and smiled at the pair.

"We owe you one Harry," Hannah said with a smile.

Harry shook his head. "Like I said, it's my fault this happened in the first place. So the least I could do is fix it. However, I am betting that I will be persona non gratis with you 'Puffs for a while when you found out what I said" he told her with a growing smile.

She frowned at him, "What did you say?" she asked.

Harry shook his head, "Like I'm going to say," he said with a smirk. "All I will say is that I didn't mean it. I just needed her good and Mad." he said backing well off.

"It's ok" Susan said, her voice wobbly still. "I understand, and thank you. I've never been so scared in my life."

"Or angry I'll bet" Harry said with a smirk. "Well. That is enough excitement for me. I have to get to class anyway. I do not suppose you would write me a note Professor. I think Professor Vector will want to know why I'm so late."

"Of course Harry." Minerva said, moving off to do as he asked.

Harry took the note and without another word left the classroom.

The 'Puffs crowded around their frightened member and the Ravenclaws soon followed offering encouragement and comfort.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Harry sauntered out of his last class of the day with a sigh of relief. It had been a strangely busy day. Then, it HAD been a busy day all said and done. A member of Hufflepuff walked past him in the hall and he tensed slightly. The things he had been forced to say to Susan to get her mad could potentially make him very unpopular with the 'Puffs if they got out. Rather than attack, Harry in any way the guy just smiled at Harry in a friendly way. "Thanks Mate" he said with a nod.

Harry smiled back, bemused but carried on walking. News spread fast, good or bad in Hogwarts by all accounts. Especially since the same scene was repeated all the way from, his last class all the way through to Gryffindor Tower.

He slipped in through the portrait with a slight smile on his face. Which dropped when he realized the scene within, Lavender was nose to nose with a very angry Hermione, actually, they were both very angry now he came to look. This... was not good at all. Not good at all. Lav, he knew from personal experience was NASTY when she got going and someone with Hermione's brains was not going to be a slouch in the screaming insults department either.

Oddly enough, everyone seemed to be watching the two as if they expected a show to start. Harry did not much like that; Ron was looking a little pained. Which was slightly better, but still he had not tried to get between the two.

Harry hesitated. It would be, dangerous, if he were the one to step in to that particular hornets nest. Then, no one else looked like they were about to do it. He walked closer to find they were not screaming. Worse, they were both being very quiet and- dangerous to each other. That was not a good sign even he knew that. It would not be long before either violence, though he doubted that given Hermione was involved, or an all out screaming match.

"You're just using him," Hermione purred dangerously. "Though what he see's in such a harlot I'll never understand."

Harry winced slightly. Then winced again at Lav's retort.

"Seems both your 'friends' see something you don't" Lav replied.

Hermione waved that off, "I heard you and Pav talking Lav, I know about you and the other."

"The other?" Lav said, "Afraid to say his name?"

"I don't think he needs to have his name associated with a low born little tramp like you Lav," Hermione said with a nasty smile.

Lav's eyes flashed, "Prissy little bookworm like you appears to think she knows anything about men? That's a joke."

"I know enough."

"You know nothing. I suspect you'll be a virgin when you're 40 still."

Hermione shrugged, "Better than being pregnant before I leave school."

"Why you little..."

"Whoa" Harry said, physically stepping between the two.

"Need your protector already" Lav spat.

"Go away Harry" Hermione said.

"No, to that. Look. You two well you are not close but you are friends. The argument you are having can and will change that. You live together. Do you really want to make the rest of your time here that uncomfortable?"

They both glared at him and then at each other. "What's this all about... really?" Harry said after a moment during which they both calmed down a bit.

"Ron" Hermione said.

"Pfft, I think it's really about you" Lav said pointing at Harry.

Hermione's eyes flashed again. However, Lav was not finished. "It's not my fault that she can't hang onto either of you is it."

Harry glared. Hermione snarled slightly, "I don't hold onto anyone. That is the point. They are their own people. I certainly do not like their choices with ... girls, lately, but at the end of the day, it is their choice. That does not mean I cannot try to protect them from themselves. Or from you- I know what you are like with boys. I have heard you talking; I have seen what you have done. I won't have that happen here." her voice dipped lower, it had grown slightly in volume, "either of them. I just know that eventually you are going to try to play them off each other. I will not have it. You hear?"

Lav smiled nastily, again. "I have no interest in this male tart," she said pointing at Harry. "Not anymore, not when I found out what he's really like."

"Oh, that would explain the come on's and hot looks then would it?"

"OK, this isn't the place for this" Harry said, cutting in before they got going again. "So far, the volume is low enough that no one would've overheard you. Not for much longer, do you really want to splash this all out in the open. Not to mention Lav, that you'd become a squib" he said in a hard tone.

"I'm far from done" Lav said, "Besides if I don't tell anyone, and they guess on their own. I'm free and clear aren't I?"

Hermione's eyes flashed again.

Harry growled and grabbed them both by the hands. "Right, that is IT," he said and pulling them both along, complaining he walked up to portrait. Then dragged them both down the corridor. They got a slight following, but he headed for the nearest empty room. Virtually throwing them both in. A wave of his hand later and the door slammed shut hard and a dozen or more spells plastered themselves on it. He then spent a couple of seconds protecting other possible sources of listening from well being listened at.

"Right" he said to the two mutinous and glaring girls. "Have at it." he said. "Just fucking go for it. Because obviously you two are not going to quit until you have totally ruined the friendship you did have. So go for it. But I am not letting you upset Ron, or frankly put me in a pile of shit up to my ears. So just fucking rip each other to shreds."

Lav drew in a breath her eyes angry.

"Sorry Harry" Hermione said looking contrite.

"Please" Lav drawled in a nasty voice. "You're so pathetic, one word from him and you're jelly."

Hermione glared at her. "Why you little bitch."

Harry blinked, 'ok she's swearing that isn't a good sign at all' he decided. He took a sharp step back.

"You wiggle that arse of yours and think the whole world is impressed with a pair of legs and a moderately well shaped bust. You're in for a nasty wake up call. The world isn't like Hogwarts. You won't be able to get by with a bat of your eyelids and a come hither look"

'Moderately?' Harry thought to himself but wisely kept quiet.

"And you think the world revolves around books and boring information." Lav retorted. "I may be better looking than you that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I do well enough on my exams thank you so very much."

'Better looking is she kidding' Harry thought.

"Looks fade, intelligence does not." Hermione said. "But that's a whole different kettle of fish. I want to know why you're playing with Ron's heart like this."

"Oh, so it's Ron you want?" Lav asked with a lifted brow, "You're just angry because I got there first then? All this noble stuff is a smoke screen. You're just laying into me because I've got what you want."

Harry found himself unusually interested in the answer.

"That ship has sailed. However, that does not mean I do not care about him. He, Harry and I, have been through things together that would have you running screaming for the hills you pathetic excuse for a human. We have a bond you cannot understand let alone will not allow yourself to. So yes, I care about him, more than a simple friendship too I suspect. I do not know, I have not had too many friends, but I know we would die for each other. So I cannot allow you to screw with his head. Especially now."

Lav looked a little taken aback by that speech.

Hermione had not finished, "The same goes for Harry. Doubly so in fact because Harry is... well Harry. I know too well that you are more than slightly interested in getting back with him. You know what that would do to Ron. To their friendship?"

Lav waved her hand airily, "I have no idea what you're talking about." she said. "I'm with Ron."

"Just Ron?" Hermione said nastily, "Really?"

Lav looked a little worried. The air suddenly got thick with dangerous potential. Or at least the potential for danger.

"Calm yourself Harry. I have this." Hermione said.

Lav's eyes flicked to Harry to see he was furious.

"You know Ron is a big boy..."

"... Very..." Lav put in nastily.

"...Oh dear, I hope he doesn't catch something nasty..." Hermione said without skipping a beat.

Harry's eyes twinkled with mirth at Lav's gob-smacked expression.

"...So he can make his own mistakes. But any extra curricular ... affairs stop now, or else you'll find out why Draco still flinches when I get mad." Hermione continued without pause.

Harry blinked at her.

Lav trembled in impotent anger, "Fine" she spat after a long moment. She turned to Harry "Let me out" she said angry but gradually gaining more control of herself.

Harry waved a hand at the door, his eyes on Hermione. Lav walked out, head held high, but obviously troubled by Hermione's words. Once she was gone, Harry waved a hand at the door again.

Hermione looked at him curiously.

-oOo-

Lavender stalked through the small crowd outside of the door, anger leaking from every pore. Ron caught up with her and gently pulled her off into yet another classroom.

"What's going on Luv?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Just your 'Friend' being stupid." she said, then decided it was well past time to put a knife in that relationship. "I think she's a little possessive."

"I'm with you luv" Ron said

She put a hand on his face, "I know Ron, I know. But I don't think she does. I think maybe she was holding a bit of a torch for you."

Ron shook his head, "Yeah Harry thought I was for her.," he said. "I don't though, she was just a friend."

"I'm happy to hear that." Lav said with a beaming smile. She pulled him closer, "Let me show you just how happy I am." she purred.

Ron smiled.

-oOo-

"What?" Hermione asked.

Harry smiled at her, "You are wonderful you know that right?" he said.

She blushed slightly, "He's my friend. She is not very nice to her boyfriends. I didn't want that to happen to Ron."

"You've made an enemy there you know." he told her seriously. "She's- got some serious kink to her emotional stability that girl."

"Yes I can see that. What did you ever see in her?" Hermione asked with a shake of her head.

"She was fun, for a while. Then she went weird on me. Very weird."

"Fun?" Hermione asked with a pointed glare.

Harry smiled slightly. "I'm merely male, I don't always think enough with the big head," he admitted.

She sighed, "Wally" she said, a hint of a smile on her face.

Harry became serious. "There are a few things to clear up here though."

"Oh?"

"One, who is this guy?"

Hermione shrugged with a smirk, "No clue." then her smirk grew, "Total shot in the dark." she quoted back at him.

Harry smiled slightly, "Fair enough." he said with a chuckle. "Secondly. You did not blink when she made out as if you are less attractive, or not attractive. That is utter bullshit. In my opinion, you are far better looking than Lav. Don't get me wrong, she's gorgeous but you are more so."

She blushed at him again. "Harry..." she began.

"Thirdly. Just so you know." he said cutting her off. "Ron is my friend; his family are like my own in some ways. However, Ron has issues with me. He has also let me down quite a bit over the years. So if I lost him as a friend I would be upset, depressed even. However, if I lost YOU, I would be broken. You've always stuck by me, always believed in me and I love you for that more than you know."

She took a step towards him. "Harry..." she began again.

He held up his hand. "You're special to me Hermione, just deal with it." he sighed. "I don't want to think of a world in which we don't have our friendship."

"I don't see that ever changing Harry."

"That doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to kiss your brains out right now though. Just so you know." Harry said with a sexy little smile.

Hermione blushed brightly, "I... I..."

"Its ok" he said with a slight smile. "I understand."

"No, you don't. Because I would quite like to kiss you right now too," she told him closing the distance between them and kissing him hard.

Harry's arms curled around her and pulled her in tight. Then he pushed back slightly.

She broke the kiss, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I've ..." he paused searching for the words. "I've undergone some changes, and there's something about me you don't know."

"Is it something to do with what happened at the breakfast table" she asked him with a sexy smile. "Because I LIKE that change."

"It does actually. I've become somewhat less than monogamous." he said, looking at her closely.

"Oh" she said, backing away slightly.

"I don't want to... play around with your emotions Hermione, so I thought I'd better tell you that. I can see it's as well I did," he said rubbing a hand down his face.

"Urm... I am not sure what to say to that. What's changed in you to make you... well that way?"

Harry leaned back on the table, trying not to think of how close she was. "Not 100% percent sure of it all myself, but it's the way I am now."

Hermione pursed her lips in thought, bringing Harry attention back to her mouth. "I'm not sure what to make of this," she said honestly.

"I didn't think you would be." Harry said, "But I knew I had to tell you. Yes, I am interested in you, VERY interested and you have... well been putting some moves on me lately so I realized you are interested in me too. However, I am strictly a casual relationship guy now. Apparently it's in my nature to be that way now."

"Oh?" she said, obviously thinking hard.

"All dragons are like that apparently," he said finally.

"Well that explains that," she said surprising him slightly.

"Hmm?"

"They build Harems. I take it you have two forms. A dragon being one." Hermione said.

Harry nodded, smiling slightly. Of course, she knew about that, there was not much she had not read about he supposed. Perhaps he should have talked to her about this sooner really. "Yeah, that's just one of the little oddities that have come up from that form. However, the Jaguar is not exactly helping much either. That's not even mentioning some of the other weirdness that's been happening to me since the summer."

"I'll just bet." Hermione asked. "You would have the sexual morality of a tom cat I suspect."

Harry chuffed a laugh. "Thanks" he said.

"I'm glad you told me though. It tells me a lot about the way you see me, believe it or not and I'm flattered you care that much," she said with a soft smile.

Harry nodded sadly.

"I need time to think about this Harry," she said finally.

He waved his hand at the door. "All the time in the world." he said. Hiding his disappointment with the practice, he had picked up over the years.

"Thank you Harry. I'll see you at Dinner?" she said with a half smile.

"More than likely." he said with a nod.

"More than likely?" she asked.

"My schedule is pretty insane lately. I don't always have time for dinner," he admitted.

"I have noticed you missing a few meals," she said. "I thought it was because..." she trailed off with a slight devil in her eye.

"No, that was a shock for sure, but not why I wasn't around. The last meal I missed was because I was marking DADA homework," he told her.

"Oh, well it's good to see you doing something like that Harry." she told him. "Well, I most go, before people start to wonder what we're doing in here." she added with a smirk.

Harry laughed slightly and nodded.

-oOo-

Harry meandered along the hallways with no particular destination in mind. He was in fact bored out of his skull. Contrary to what he had told Hermione he had nothing to do that night. All marking had been done. Paperwork filed and homework was a joke. He was not due for any meetings and frankly, it was slightly unusual to say the least.

He was suddenly slammed against the wall by a blur of red. Realizing what was happening this time he did not blast her through a wall. Instead, he sort of resigned himself to what was happening. It had been something that had happened off and on for a while now. He suspected he knew WHY she was doing it. It was working too, their was no way he could think of Ginny as being a sister now, not since he knew what she tasted like to kiss and had on many occasions had her body pressed into him hard enough he knew her curves by heart.

Still, if Ron found out he was a dead man, and any hope of their friendship lasting through Lavender was lost.

So, with his luck holding true. He was not actually surprised to hear. "What the FUCK!" from a very loud and angry Weasley voice.

With a mental sigh, he looked over at Ron, at about the same time Ginny did. He was pissed, seriously pissed. That was easy to see. There was a palpable air of violence in the air and Harry knew he was pretty much fucked. He probably should have stopped Ginny faster, or at all. Honestly, she had done it so many times now; he knew it did not put her off. She usually snogged him for a moment and then ran off, usually giggling slightly. He had rather gotten used to it actually.

He supposed he should have perhaps talked to Ron about it, but then he would be angry at Ginny. He did not want that either. No, he was going to have to put up and take the hit.

WHAM

Down he went. He was quite impressed; he had not even seen Ron move. Then anger has a way of doing that. "Damn you Harry. Lav said you were a dog, I just didn't believe it." Ron said trembling with rage.

Harry did not say anything. There was nothing he could say. Especially since Lav had apparently been poisoning Ron. He was not that surprised to find that out actually, but this was not the best way for it to come out. He was just glad that no one was around.

"I kissed him Ron!" Ginny said, checking on Harry. Somewhat surprised to see that Harry was not fighting back.

Ron snorted, "He wasn't exactly pushing you off was he."

Harry shrugged slightly, "I've found there is no point." he said, but already knew Ron wouldn't care why he had said that, let alone put the clues together.

Ginny pouted slightly at that.

Ron looked down at him is disgust, "Get up Harry" he said in a dangerous voice. "Take it like a man."

Harry got up, looking resigned. WHAM, he did not go down this time. He was ready for it. Still hurt like a bitch though.

"Ron!" Ginny shouted putting herself in front of Harry, "Stop that." she said angrily.

"Ginny, move" Harry said, pushing her behind himself. Much to her annoyance.

"I'd not touch her again if I were you Harry," Ron said, slamming Harry one again. Harry's head whipped around, his glasses flying off. He turned back, spitting out some blood.

"Fight damn you" Ron said slamming a meaty fist into Harry's stomach.

Harry went to his knees, and then got back up, strangely silent.

"Damn you Harry." Ron spat angrily. Then grabbed Ginny and dragged her away, with her spitting anger at him all the way.

Harry leaned back against the wall, wiping his bloodied face with a handkerchief.

"My my" a familiar voice said. "He's got quite a punch doesn't he?" Tracey said walking around the corner.

Harry actually sighed slightly in relief.

"Come with me quickly" Tracey said, taking him by the hand. "Draco is not far behind," she said off his look.

Harry allowed himself to be dragged off; once they were sure they were far enough away from possible onlookers, Tracey activated her Rune stone. Taking them both to the Den. She then pulled him into the bathroom, grabbing his handkerchief and running it under a tap.

"For Merlin's sake Harry why didn't you defend yourself?"

"I don't want to hurt Ron," he said, wincing as he did so. He had quite a nasty split lip.

"But what in Morgana's name were you doing fooling around with Ginny, of all people?" she asked.

"I wasn't. She's been attacking me like that in various locations all across school since the start of term," he said as she gently cleaned the blood from his face.

Tracey snorted softly, "Yes, I think I see why" she said after a moments thought. "She's always had a huge crush on you. The entire school knows that. Interesting strategy," she said after a moment. "I suspect you have at one point said something stupid like I think of you as ... I dunno... a sister or something."

Harry nodded, as far as the pain would let him.

Tracey shook her head, "You should still have protected yourself. You have a lot of muscle Harry. I'm sure you can fight."

"Of course I can, better than most would think. But there's no way I'm hurting Ron." Harry said.

Then he suddenly looked alarmed. "My glasses, if their found people will think I've been abducted or something." he said with worry.

"I'll get them, but Madam Pomphrey should take a look at this lip," she told him.

Harry was already shaking his head, just as she knew he would.

"Stubborn git" she said with some affection.

He smiled with his eyes; doing so with his lip would be tricky at this point. Then he chuckled slightly making her look at him askance. A burst of power later and he was looking his normal handsome self.

She smiled, "Something tells me you've not been entirely open with me as of yet" she told him. Then put a finger on his lip as he began to reply, "And you don't need to be." she added. "It's obvious that you are amazingly powerful though," she continued. Then smiled softly before kissing him gently. "Now, I will go and grab your glasses. I suggest you lay low tonight."

"Yeah" Harry said, testing his jaw slightly as he did so. "I'm rather glad the magic works." he said after a moment, during which Tracey had slipped away to grab his glasses.

He walked back into the main room and slumped down on the couch there. So far, this had not been his best day ever. He could only imagine what Ron was going to tell his brothers. He suspected that the twins would have none of it though. They out of them all seemed to have gotten his measure. They were strangely down to earth despite their prankster ways.

This reminded him. With everything that had been going on, of late he still had not gotten around to doing his pranks. Which he just could not allow to continue. This meant he would have to set up another prank for the morning. Obviously, he could not use the entrance to the great hall, not so soon afterwards anyway.

A smirk crawled up on to his face and took residence on his lips. Tracey found this expression on his face when she arrived back with his glasses. "What you cooking up?" she asked, a hint of a smile on her face as well.

"You know... I could do with a hand."

Tracey knelt down.

"No" Harry said with a laugh, "At least not yet. I actually meant a hand doing something."

"Oh?" she asked with a sexy smirk on her face.

"You've got a one track mine, my darling. I mean with a prank."

"Oh... I had thought you had decided not to do any more. I suppose my house will bare the brunt?" she asked, a hint of frost in her tone.

Harry frowned slightly, "I do have ONE, just one, prank for the men in your house. But I like to think bigger than one house." he said with a lazy smile.

Her frosty tone disappeared now she realized he was not out to ridicule her entire house. She should have known better really. Not that she could really blame him if he did target her house. They were not the nicest of people to him in the past. Still, it rankled her to think of how badly her house overall was thought of. This was mostly down to people like Draco Malfoy and his ilk. Which she hated. It was just another one of those the many being punished, or judged, on the actions of the few. Instead, she smiled slightly, "You know even Fred and George at least tended to concentrate on one person at a time."

"Oh" Harry said with a nasty smile, "I'm sorely tempted to prank the shit out of Ron for earlier. However, at the end of the day he is being- programmed to believe the worst of me at the moment. It is my fervent hope that he will come to realize he is being manipulated. I could quite go for Pranking the ever-lasting hell out of Draco too. It would just be extremely obvious who was doing it." He smirked, "Besides I know something that makes pranking him seem largely irrelevant," he said with relish. Then shook it off. "No, what I need you to do for me beautiful is really simple. You'll need your invisibility cloak though."

"Go on..."

-oOo-

Ron raged around the Gryffindor common room, with no real outlet to his anger it was largely frustration that fuelled his temper now. Why had Harry not fought back? Harry always fought. Always to the bitter end he would fight, he was bloody famous for it. He assumed it was because he knew he was in the wrong. Kissing Ginny, especially given what he had said at the station was just... well it did not settle with Ron at all.

"Ahh" he yelled throwing up his hands and scaring the hell out of some of the lower years half to death. He was big, he was a red head, a Weasley and he was PISSED. Which were more than enough reasons for them to be worried? The red haired family was quite famous.

Ginny glared at him, "Have you finished being a giant prat yet?" she demanded, her own temper flaring.

"You do NOT want to mess with me right now." Ron growled. "Wait till I tell the lads about this." he threatened.

"Oh, I am so fucking scared." she spat. "Can't you stop for one second and think, or at least listen to me?"

"Well" a female voice said, "You're bound to stick up for him now aren't you." Lavender said dryly. "He's quite good at wrapping women around his little finger is Potter."

Ginny glared at her, "You. Nose. Out. This is family business."

"Hey" Ron thundered, "Don't be talking to her that way. She is my girlfriend. That makes her as good as family."

Lavender just sort of blinked at that. That was not to her liking at all, but with how well Ron was responding to her other wiles she was sure she could correct that thinking.

"No she bloody isn't" Ginny said in a low, dangerous, voice. "I don't know what you're thinking going out with her." she continued in much the same tone.

"Cut that out, I've had Hermione and Potter 'warning' me about Lav and its all rubbish. 'Mione was jealous and Potter just wanted her for himself." Ron spat.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at Ron, and then let out a sigh, "Look. Ron. Harry wasn't kissing ME. I was kissing HIM; can you at least get that through your head?"

"What difference does that make? He wasn't exactly pushing you off was he?"

"He did for quite a while actually." Ginny said, so angry she did not realize they had drawn an audience. "I've been trying all term so far to deprogram him from your way of thinking. Hell, I don't think it was working actually. I was fairly hopeful until earlier," she said, drooping slightly. Then railed again, "So for gods' sake Ron, HE hasn't done anything wrong. If anyone is in the wrong here, I suppose... I suppose it's me really." she said looking a little defeated again. Then a nasty smile appeared on her face, "I suppose, you've done me a favour really."

Ron frowned, "Huh?"

"Well, he's certainly not going to think of me as family now is he? Not after the man he thinks of as a brother just punched... the... shit... out of him?"

Ron paled slightly. "I guess what I should do now is to go and find him," she purred. "Kiss him better."

"No, hell no" Ron said standing up to his full, quite impressive size, "You go near him Ginny Weasley and I'll... I'll lock a chastity charm on you!"

Ginny's eyes flashed, "You wouldn't dare. Besides, only the head of a family can do that Ron. Perhaps you should listen to Hermione more when she tells you to study. You may have known that then."

"I expect the head of the family would do it. I know the bloke after all." Ron snarled.

"Pfft" Ginny said, turned on a heel and pretty much flounced out of the common room. Blushing scarlet on the way as she caught sight of how many people were listening in on that.

Ron growled, then looked around, "Parchment...Now!" he growled.

About a hundred sheets were sent his way.

His lip quirked slightly, "Dare I ask for a quill?"

-oOo-

Around the country shortly afterwards, and in one case Romania. The Weasley brothers received owls. The one received in Romania was petty much exhausted, but Ron had been in no mood to take No for an answer or distance as an excuse. As a powerful Wizard in his own right, he had actually managed to get the point across to the poor owls.

Attached to the owl was the same note. It received various and differencing responses depending on who looked at it. Charlie and Bill both thought of their sister as a baby and with that image in mind got PISSED, one begged off work the other started hatching plans, both wrote back. Fred and George took one look at their notes, looked at each other, smirked, and went back to work on their Legimancy. Of them all, they knew not to fuck with Harry. Not only was he well... Harry, he was the natural successor of the Marauders, pranksters who made THEM look like rank amateurs.

Oddly enough even Percy the Weasley traitor got one. He glared at the note, and believing this was his way back in with the family immediately wrote back.

Unsurprisingly, Ron had not contacted his father or mother about this conundrum; he figured the brothers would be able to deal with this in a more straightforward fashion than their parents would conceive.

Oddly enough, it also did not occur to Ron that what he was doing could, and likely would, irrevocably damage his relationship with his two best friends. Harry obviously, being chief among them. Nor did it occur that they were also playing with fire. Namely a very pissed off Ginny Weasley.

She had not been idle. While Ron knew, he could contact his brothers. Ginny knew the real Force Major in the house of Weasley and had contacted her mum.

-oOo-

Harry was blissfully unaware of any of this. He had decided the best thing for him was to slip out of school entirely and had done so after some fast-talking to the Headmaster. He had set Tracey on to her task, and vowed to sort out his part of the prank when he got back. It was unfortunately early evening so far and frankly, he was pretty much fed up. He was sure a visit to his favourite older woman would help. He needed her wisdom on what to do about the situation that was building with Lavender, and some advice would not hurt. He had a couple of ideas as to what was happening and frankly, he was not entirely sure how to deal with any of them.

He swirled to the front door of Grimmauld place, appearing the entire world as if he had taken one-step between Scotland and the large building. He then knocked and smiled. It was likely that Cissy would be the one to answer the door, she usually was. Which, now he came to think about it was not actually a good idea. However, the thought of a Death Eater walking up and knocking on the door did strike him as amusing.

The door was flung open and Harry smiled, and then looked up. "Oh bugger." he said.

Bill was not a small man and as angry as he obviously was, he seemed enormous. Apparently, Ron had moved quickly to establish his siblings support. At the very least, he appeared to have Bills. This did NOT bode well for Harry's health, without magic, in the next few seconds.

Bill grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him inside the house, almost lifting the smaller man off his feet. "You" he snarled.

"Hey Bill." Harry said with a tired sounding voice. Was he cursed or what? He wondered.

"Little sneak. All these years we've supported you, shielded you and THIS is our thanks?"

'OK, that actually hurt' Harry thought, his smile abruptly disappearing.

"All this time were you planning on getting into Ginny's knickers? Is that why you saved her I wonder. Little Harry's pecker doing his thinking for him from an early age I wonder" Bill continued to rave.

Harry's mood darkened.

"I mean, why not, she would be grateful after all. The big shining knight comes to save her. What damsel would not eventually want to give him a little- Something? And if that knight was to take advantage she would think it was his due now wouldn't she."

Harry's aura began to rise up around him.

Bill grabbed Harry again and virtually threw him into the living room. Where Cissy and Fleur happened to be sat. Bill could not care less though. "I wonder; have you deflowered Hermione as well?"

"Bill" Cissy said, shock colouring her words. "What on Earth has gotten into you?"

"Be quiet Death Eater scum." Bill said, operating entirely on automatic rage now.

Cissy came to a sudden and shocked stand still, her words forgotten. Bill HAD been one of the nicer ones to her. She had thought they were starting to become almost friendly. Apparently, she was mistaken in that.

Power moved the air in the room, creating a light wind.

"'Arry" Fleur said her voice soft. "Stay calm." her words actually managing to lower the threat of violence in the room.

Bill looked at her, then from her to Harry, and then snarled. Literally an animalistic sound.

"Ahh, did the little French tart properly THANK you for saving her sister I wonder. Well I mean Gabrielle should be of age in a few years then you can extract payment from her too."

The air started to move again, in a much more... excited fashion. Crackles of lightning blew around Harry's irises. The room felt heavy and seemed to smell of copper. "Bill..." Fleur said warningly. "Why do you act so?"

"This tramp has been putting the moves on my baby sister." Bill decided to answer her.

"Iz this true 'Arry?" Fleur asked.

"No" Harry said, the single word seemed leaden as it fell into the sound of the room like a coffin slamming.

"Pfft" Bill said, throwing up his arms.

Harry flinched slightly. Causing Cissy to start worrying. Because despite the serious haranguing that Bill was throwing at Harry, nothing more than a build of power had happened so far. However, she knew that Harry would not take kindly to any perceived physical attack. This could be dangerous for all of them. Ignoring her own hurt, she stepped forward slightly, "Bill, you need to back away," she said carefully, no hint of censure or anger in her voice. She had no wish to inflame this already incendiary situation further.

"Like hell will I. I'm half tempted to just wring his bloody neck." Bill growled. His hands flexing like he truly wanted just to do as he said.

"Seriously Bill, you need to step back." Cissy said in the same tone she had used before.

"Oui, it is not good to antagonize 'Arry. If he is threatened he may kill you." Fleur said in the tone of voice of a professional.

Bill smirked, "I don't think so."

"You don't know what you are dealing with Bill." Fleur told him. "For the relationship we 'ad, step back."

Bill frowned at her. He did step back though, "Why is it I wonder that you are both trying to protect him?" he asked nastily. The Weasley's were not famous for their tempers for nothing after all. However, it was occasionally self-destructive. "Could it be that he's fucking you both? Ron was telling me that Lavender has described how 'good' he is with women."

A light bulb went off over Cissy's head. Fleur looked clueless.

"Well she's stepped up her game considerably." Cissy said.

Bill frowned, "What do you mean."

"You are in no fit state to hear that my dear Bill." Cissy told him, taking a seat. "Harry, calm down please. You're scaring Fleur and I.," she said, saying the one thing that would possibly reach the angry young draconian. Not that she knew his true nature, but she had Harry's number pretty well.

Harry looked down, almost shamefully. His aura dropping away and the wind that had built up in the room dying down to nothing quite quickly. "Sorry Cissy" he mumbled.

"YOU have nothing to be sorry for. Bill, I suspect, will be eating crow eventually though." Cissy said sitting back more comfortably and then, using all the training she had picked up, relaxed. Sitting down and having Dinner with the most evil man on the face of the planet taught you to be calm in just about any situation.

"I don't think so. Potter, just stay the hell away from my family." Bill said, and turned to leave.

"Bill" Harry said.

Bill turned back glaring a hole into Harry.

"Talk to Ginny." was all Harry had to say.

Bill frowned, paused, and then nodded.

Once Bill was gone, Harry pretty much slumped.

Fleur was slightly the faster of the two women and had cast several locking charms and a host of others on the door before Cissy managed too. They looked at each other for a moment, and an unspoken discussion passed between them. The upshot of which was, you too?

Once that was sorted, they went over to the thoroughly miserable looking young wizard.

-oOo-

Bill Appareted as soon as he had cleared the wards. Not caring if some Muggle saw him and arrived at the gates of Hogwarts in no time at all. Contrary to popular belief, Apparition was NOT instant. To a sensitive, enough wizard there was actually a period of travel. Mostly of a blank sort of view, but it was there none the less. Bill was a very sensitive wizard when not as angry as a Kneazle in a trunk. So he hardly noticed the travel time on this occasion. Instead, he just kept walking with long ground eating strides. He paused for a moment, and put his wand to his forehead and flicked outwards. The Adfero went flying off. Then he paused outside the main entrance. He could not go in without permission. He could however drag his siblings out to him!

Because he was starting to get a horrible feeling, and it would not be- good if this feeling was true. Because for the first time in years his temper had run away with him. Through it all however, and though he was angry, Harry had NOT acted like the guilty party. Which was really... bugging Bill.

-oOo-

Harry smiled at his two companions who were looking at him a little warily. "Some day" he said after a long moment.

Cissy laughed, "What's been going on with Lavender. She seems to have markedly stepped up her game all of a sudden."

"Actually I don't think it is that sudden," Harry said, getting off the floor and walking over to the couch. Whereupon he sat down heavily. He shook his head, "No I think she's been working on Ron ever since they started to go out. I'm just not sure what the point is."

Cissy sat down on one side of him, while Fleur sat the other. They were thankfully in a secure room, so Harry could talk normally. These two women, the oldest in his fledgling Harem were also very restful to be around. Fleur in particular, because she knew some detail of what he was. "Nor am I" Cissy admitted. "If the aim is to get you back, she seems to be going about things in a very odd way. If the aim is to punish you then she's doing well."

Fleur frowned, "You have 'ad relations with this 'Lavender'?" she asked. No hint of censure, just a curious tone.

Harry nodded, "Not actual sex but near..." he frowned, a thought occurring to him.

"What is it?" Cissy asked.

"Just a random thought. She is acting a bit like a junkie cut off from the source. Lashing out at the 'supplier' that has cut her off."

"A what?" Cissy asked, though it was obvious that Fleur was wondering the same thing.

"Hard to explain... It is just, she was the first... encounter I had since I gained the various abilities I have. Makes me wonder if I... urh... Gave her too much or something. In someway I have perhaps unbalanced her." Harry said. His power leapt up around him, causing both women to look at him in surprise and a little worry. "It's ok, I'm not angry I want to see something. This is how I do it." Harry said to calm them. Then he looked at Fleur and Cissy in turn, specifically looking for traces of his own magic. Fleur had the most, Cissy a fair bit too. Despite not having sex with Cissy yet, he had spent some time... pleasing her. He would have to check Cho, Parv and Tracey when he got back. Then Lav herself. He could see traces of his magic easily enough. This was making him wonder if he had indeed upset Lav's balance somehow. Could that be why she was acting so... weird? However, what motivated her? That was the question. Sure, she may be acting out because of the imbalance but there had to be some sort of motivation there somewhere. If he had unbalanced her, how was he to set her- back in balance?

"You're looking thoughtful 'Arry" Fleur said, leaning in close and totally scattering his thoughts.

He smiled at her, "I was. You have quite the effect when you are close. Did you know that?" he asked tongue in cheek.

"You wish me to back away?" she asked with a sexy smile.

Harry shook his head, "Never."

Cissy smirked, "So you two have obviously... spent time together."

"'Arry gave me much orgasm's," Fleur said.

"Me too" Cissy said with a slight smile.

"He 'as a wonderful cock no?" Fleur said to Cissy.

Harry rolled his eyes, how did he end up in these bizarre situations so often? Not that he really minded of course.

"I wouldn't know... Yet." Cissy said. "He is too noble for his own good."

"Oui, the way around zat is to appeal to his baser nature." Fleur sat laying a hand in his lap.

"Fleur!" Harry said in shock. She shot him a heated look.

Cissy laughed, "I'll remember that."

Harry cocked his eyebrow at her, "It doesn't bother you that I'm... seeing other women?" he asked the older woman.

Cissy shook her head, "Not overly. I'll take what I can get at this point," she told him honestly.

Harry shook his head, and then smirked at Fleur's wandering hands. "You know... I know you are trying to take my mind off what is happening... And it's working, but I need to think on this." he said to the beautiful Frenchwoman.

She pouted prettily at him.

Cissy shook her head, "No you don't. Not right away. You need to calm down first," she said seriously. Then her smile got wicked. She met Fleur's eyes and the two appeared to have a conversation silently. Harry noticed, but was woefully unable to notice the gist of it. Until he felt his zip, being pulled down.

"Urh" he began. Only to be cut off by Fleur kissing him passionately.

By time the kiss broke, his cock was in her cool hand. "Urm-" he tried again. Another steamy kiss and his thoughts scattered to the wind. Then his eyes shot open and a sigh left his throat as he felt warm dampness attach around his shaft.

-oOo-

Bill was pacing back and forth by time his siblings finally arrived. He stopped dead and looked at them seriously. Only to frown when a third person appeared from the entrance. She was blond, and very attractive. Attaching herself to Ron like a limpet. Frankly, he had no idea who she was, but she was not a member of his family. This was strictly for family as far as he was concerned.

"Bill" Ron said with a smile, "Got my message then" he said.

Bill nodded, "I'm sorry miss. This is for family only," he said to the interloper.

"She's with me" Ron answered, "This is Lavender; my girlfriend. She is a part of this too. If not for her I wouldn't have known about Harry."

Bill frowned deeper, "That may be Ron. But this is for family."

Ron held his girlfriend a little tighter, "She's as good as," he said, drawing a shocked look from Lav. She was starting to worry about him saying things like that. It showed a level of commitment she was not interested in at all.

Bill also was a little taken aback by that. However, he saw no way around it just then. So he nodded, shortly and looked at Ginny. "I've been told to talk to you. I just ... talked with Harry."

Ginny looked concerned, "You didn't... hurt him did you?"

"Not yet" Bill said in a foreboding voice.

"Well don't" Ginny said, some fire appearing in her eyes. "None of this is Harry's fault."

"Oh please" Lavender said in a drawl.

Bill cut her a look, "You may be here with Ron. Nevertheless, I am talking to my family. Please don't interrupt." he said firmly.

"Hey, no need for that" Ron said cutting in before anyone else could say a word.

"Ron" Bill said warningly. "I've just laid into someone I consider almost family. He did not act like a villain. I laid into him because of what you wrote to me. You had better back up what you said, or I will be a fool. No one makes a fool out of me. So your girl can stay, but she stays quiet. I need to sort this out. Now; What the Hell Happened?"

Ginny and Ron both started to talk at the same time. Bill held up a hand cutting them off, "Ron first. Then you Ginny" he ordered.

Ginny simmered, but since she knew she would get a turn, she remained calm.

"I was looking for Harry. To have it out with him." Ron began. "Then I walk down a corridor and find him snogging Ginny." he said.

Bill growled.

"I obviously took exception to that. The start of term he told me he thought of Ginny like a sister. Then I find him necking with her! That doesn't sit right with me, so I hit him."

"More than once!" Ginny spat.

Bill looked at Ron, "You had a fight with Harry?" he asked, looking his brother over. He did not have a mark on him. For which he found himself a little proud. Everyone of late was talking about how powerful Harry was, about how much of a fighter he was.

Ron shook his head, "No; actually I didn't really. I just hit him a few times. He didn't fight back at all."

Bill frowned at that. That did not go with what he knew of Harry at all. "Why didn't he fight back?" he wondered aloud.

Ron shrugged, "I don't know. Not like Harry that. Mad me plenty pissed off that is for sure. Perhaps he was winding me up on purpose. I stopped hitting him and dragged my LITTLE sister back to the dorm. Then I wrote my brothers. You included Bill."

Bill nodded, and then looked to Ginny. He was mad from what he had heard so far, but he needed both sides.

Ginny got the clue and began to talk, "I heard him tell you that he thought of me as a sister. Back on Platform 9 ¾" she said. "I didn't like that. So I talked to mum. She told me I had to change the way he looked at me. I have tried a few things, but you had him so bloody programmed none of it was working. Then near the start of term, I ambushed him for the first time. I snogged the hell out of him, and it was good. He's a hell of a kisser."

"I don't need to know that" Bill said running a hand down his face.

Ginny shrugged, "He went mad, and ran off. I've never seen him so scared actually." she said then smiled a very female smile, "But he didn't think of me as a sister. But I knew that would change in time. He would block the memory and go back to the programmed view. So off and on, about twice a week in fact, I have ambushed him. Kissed him and run off. I KNOW he is not looking at me like a sister now. Recently he has stopped fighting me off. I had thought that was because he was enjoying it. I still do a bit, but he said to Ron..."

"Go on" Bill said.

"That he's learned that there is no point." Ginny said, sounding very upset about that fact.

Bill saw out of the corner of his eye that Lavender was smiling at that fact. He filed that away for later. It was obvious that there was more than Ron realized, going on here though. Most of it Bill would be willing to bet revolving around that smile on Lavender's face.

"Mum knows?" Ron asked aghast.

Ginny nodded, "It's basically her idea. Not the specifics, but generally..." she shrugged.

"Why, why would she tell you that?" Ron asked stunned.

Bill almost laughed at his younger brother's shock. He didn't though. There was too much to sort out. He turned to Ron. "It seems to me that Harry is largely not to blame here..."

"Oh no, that's not true. Lav has told me all about the way he is with women. He is a dog, and seems to wind them around his little finger. The fact is that Ginny wasn't being pushed away and I think Harry was leading her on for... more lately."

"Chance would be nice" Ginny put in.

"Gin!" Bill said a smile on his face. It appeared his sister was growing up, a little fast perhaps. Then she had to start early thanks to what had happened to her in her first year. This was really just an extension of that.

"Harry is very good with women." Lavender said.

Bill rounded on her, "How do you know?" he wanted to know.

Lav took a step back, not expecting that question. "What?"

"I said- how do you know that? I did not even know your name before Ron told me. So I am thinking you've not had much to do with the golden trio before now. So- How do you know?"

"Harry has tried to..." Lavender trailed off. Hoping Bill would draw his own conclusions. However, she was not dealing with Ron; she was dealing with the much worldlier Bill.

"Tried to what?" Bill asked, pressing her for details.

"Seduce me in the past. Even when I was with Ron" Lavender said.

Bill frowned, "You're lying," he said reading it on her face as easily as reading a parchment.

"Hey!" Ron said, cutting in. "That's out of order Bill."

Bill shook his head, "Shut up Ron. I am talking to your girlfriend here. You insisted she join us, so now I want to know what she knows. So, what's your involvement with Harry then?" he asked. "The truth this time."

Lavender blushed, backing up a step. Then burst into tears.

Ron pulled her into an embrace, glaring at his elder brother.

Bill shook his head, "You have a lot to learn Ron. That is a bluff. Now Lavender was it? Quit the crocodile tears and talk... Or shall I start guessing instead?"

Lav stopped crying and glared at Bill, "You're not a nice man," she said.

Bill smiled nastily, "I can be, but not when someone is playing with my family. I have already had words with Harry. I am thinking that will be enough. Considering what I have heard so far. However, I am more interested right now, in what is going on with you. You and Harry used to go out didn't you?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Lav said before she could stop herself.

Ron did a double take and Ginny glared.

"How far would you go? You... fooled around, shagged, met up what?" Bill pressed.

"We didn't... shag" Lavender said, realizing she was in the shit up to her neck now. Seeing nothing else to do but damage control she added, "So I know how he is with women. While we were still- Close, he was already trying to get with Parv. That should tell you what sort of man he is. I ended it there and then."

Ron had already backed away from her and was frowning, "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, "Why didn't Harry?"

Bill waved it off, "Did you ask?" he said. "No, I didn't think so. Past relationships are not important Ron don't worry about that. I am more interested in the fact that your Girlfriend is trying to poison you against your best mate... That's bad in any culture," he said with a pointed look at Lavender.

"I just didn't want to see Ron hurt" Lavender said. "Harry is... not what he appears"

Bill smiled thinly, "I know that much. According to two people, including my ex, I am lucky to be alive at this point. The fact is that I am, and he hardly said a word, only for me to talk to Ginny. He did not act like a womanizer. I should know; I am one. Best I can tell this is a misunderstanding for the most part. Ginny... You need to stop, or at least- tone it down."

Ginny glared at her brother.

He held up his hands, "I'm not saying you're doing wrong. Nevertheless, it is obviously not working. So why keep doing it?"

"He's a good snog?" Ginny said with an impish smile.

"He's also a year older." Bills aid with meaning in his words. "I know what blokes are like at that age. You're not legal Ginny remember that."

Ginny blushed.

Bill turned to Ron, "For the most part I think you are more than a little over protective. Ginny is her own woman, and a red head. But I can't fault you for doing something I would've done myself in your position."

Ron was not sure what to make of that.

"But you need to call off our brothers. Charlie is ready to split Harry in half from the note I got from him. I think he is on his way over. You need to call him off. The twins have not replied at all. That means one of two things. They either are cooking something up, or know Harry better than we do. Think about that last one Ron." Bill grimaced slightly, "Percy sent me a note too, and I don't think you're going to be able to call him off. He see's this as a way back in. I say we give him that chance, but stop him from hurting Harry in any way."

Ron nodded slightly.

"I'll call off mum," Ginny said.

Ron and Bill blanched, "You didn't?" Ron asked.

Ginny smiled, "I did."

Bill turned to Lavender, "You... You have issues with Harry. I think you should talk to him. If you are serious about Ron- Great, wish you both the best of luck. If, like I think, this is a way of getting back at Harry. You will have me to deal with."

Lav quailed under the glare she got. "I'm serious about Ron" she lied.

Bill narrowed his eyes at her. Nevertheless, knew that it was mostly up to Ron to sort that one out. He could not stop his brother from getting hurt. As much as he would like to. It did not mean he could not take his revenge afterwards though.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Harry's eyes rolled around as his world swam. Frankly, he liked Fleur and Cissy's idea of calming him down. Currently Fleur was kissing his neck. Cissy though, well her head was in his lap.

"Oh god" he drawled out. A hand just resting on the back of Cissy's long blond hair, rankly he now knew what she meant. Tracey was good and Cho was bad. Cissy was divine.

She hummed a laughed, the sensation running up his shaft and into his body making him groan again. Fleur paused in her kissing. Looking down at Cissy's head with a sexually charged look, "She is good non?" she asked, her voice low and erotic.

"Garble" Harry managed.

Fleur laughed, and kissed him passionately. Her hand in his hair and holding him hard against her, her tongue in his mouth and duelling with his own, her entire body was pressed against his side, her every curve flattened on him. He could feel her excitement, sense her passion burning, causing him no small amount of lust induced thinking himself.

Cissy pulled off the end of his cock, a soft popping noise accompanying the movement. Her eyes were lustful as she looked at the French Veela and her hero kiss lustily. "My turn" she said. Fleur heard her, pulling away from Harry with a soft smile. Cissy replaced her and she replaced Cissy. As Cissy kissed Harry hotly, pouring her need of him into a single kiss Fleur slithered down Harry's body. She undid his belt and trousers. Then with some force, pulled down his trousers to his ankles, she moved round, so she was on her knees before him. Looking up as Harry's hands glided over Cissy, her smile sultry. She grasped his shaft with her hand, moving swiftly and smoothing up and down.

Harry let out a moan, Cissy breaking off the kiss and looking down at Fleur. "Good idea" the elder blond commented. Her hand joining Fleur's for a moment. They jointly worked Harry's shaft making him loose all sense of time for a moment. The two hot blonds working together to 'calm' him, there was a real purpose behind their moves. It would calm him, but at the same time they both wanted him badly, Cissy perhaps even more than Fleur since the Frenchwoman had indeed had Harry to herself already.

Cissy shuffled back, after dropping a quick kiss on Harry's lips. Then moved down to kneel beside Fleur, they shared another look. Sexually charged and with plenty of lustful intent. Fleur moved around to the side a bit, her head lowering to kiss Harry's crown. Cissy moved downwards, kissing the bottom of Harry's shaft.

The sensations swimming through Harry were heady to say the least. He certainly was not thinking about anything but the two beautiful blondes at that moment in time. Cissy's mouth moved to suckle the base of Harry's shaft and Fleur's lips parted around his crown. She pushed down a bit, taking more of his shaft into her mouth. Sucking hard and causing Harry to groan in pleasure.

Cissy liked his base, moving down to suck one ball into her mouth hard. Making him moan even louder, Fleur pushed down, taking more and more of his shaft deep into her mouth, then finally into her throat.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he let out an inarticulate yell of pleasure.

Cissy smiled up at him, her blue eyes twinkling with sexual desire. Her mouth locked on one of his nuts and sucking hard enough to be almost painful. She looked at Fleur as she worked up and down Harry's shaft. Cissy's tongue licked up as Fleur's mouth moved higher and higher. Then when Fleur reached the top and came off Harry's crown. Cissy's mouth replaced the Veela's, her suck hungry and lustful. She slurped him with noisy sucks. Her head twisting round to drive up the pleasure even more, meaning that Harry was letting forth a string of barely comprehensible grunts.

"She is sucking you good 'Arry" Fleur commented. "I told you, she waited on you non?" she continued, her tone a purr.

Cissy pulled off Harry suddenly, her eyes a little wild, a smile on her face, "I wanted to do this the day after he saved me. First as payment, now... because I want his cock." she said, her voice a growl of lustful intent.

Fleur smiled, and then replaced Cissy. Her head dropping down his length with alarming speed, only to suck so hard on the way up that Harry started to see stars. Cissy licked her companion's route, and then the two women licked around his crown. Their tongues occasionally meeting, making both of them a little hotter for the situation, then they went the entire way. Kissing each other passionately, Harry's wanton eyes locked on the two beautiful blonds kissing each other with abandon.

He smiled slightly. This was just the best way to spend his evening he could think of. He hoped nothing happened to ruin it.

The two beauties parted, looking at each other with slightly shocked looks. Neither had meant to do that, but at the same time. Neither minded much either. They turned to see Harry was looking at them hungrily. A smile lighting each of their faces

Then a frown marred Harry's face.

-oOo-

In England, according to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, three people topped the most wanted list. The Dark Lord himself took the top spot. Then Bellatrix LeStrange and her Husband occupied the next two.

They had the order slightly out of whack there.

SLAP, the meaty sound reverberating around the broken down cottage.

Bellatrix looked up, her eyes showing all of the hate but none of the fear she felt for the man towering over her. She was probably the most feared of all Death Eaters. She had earned that reputation and was quite proud of it usually. The thing of it was though; she was not the most dangerous. The thickset man towering above her was more dangerous than she was, for a simple reason. She was pretty much insane. He was a master, a mad dog that needed to be put down. She would gladly do it herself. Nevertheless, was utterly unable to, he had an oath from her, once when she had loved him. It was to protect him from his far more powerful wife. To ensure that she would not fight back or worse kill him. As much as she had loved him back then she had taken that oath gladly. Now she was tempted to lose her magic, just to use one last spell. AK the bastard out of existence and be happy to become a squib. However, she had not quite gotten there yet. Unable to protect herself, she was lifted off the ground as he kicked her. A rib cracking as he did so.

Oh how she wished she had never married this bastard. How she wished she could torture him as he tortured her. He had not been abusive once, had been quite loving really. However, that had not lasted much past their wedding night. Now he was a monster to her. Perhaps it was what she deserved.

He reached down, grabbed her by her long dark hair and yanked her onto her feet, just so he could knock her down with another punch. She refused to cry, to show that she was indeed scared, scared for her life. She felt it was in real danger. Her husband's obsession with her sister of all people, and frustration at not being able to find her had driven him to a rage quite often lately. She was the one to feel the 'benefits' of that rage. She could hate her sister for this. However, Cissy was not the monster that she was, did not deserve the attentions of such as her husband. She was glad when Cissy got out of this mess. Because things were not going all that well for Voldemort and his band of Death Eaters of late, The Dark Lord himself seemed to be suffering from some sort of malady. The only thing she had been able to find out was that he had been Crucio'd in some fashion. It almost amused her to find out their great dark lord could not take what he gave out so often.

The Dark Lord was also frustrated, all of his plans that year revolved around Potter being led up the garden path by visions. As he had been before, best Bellatrix was able to tell, Voldemort was unable to breach the young man's mental shielding. The one time he had done it he had come off worse. Bellatrix had to admire that, had to admire a man that could pull of a Crucio first time, no matter how ineffective it had been.

Bellatrix was starting to wonder if she was on the wrong side. Not because she was altruistic or caring of Muggles all of a sudden, she had no wish to be redeemed. However, she liked to win, and it was starting to occur to her, and others. That Voldemort might not be the one to win this new war.

Bellatrix's dark eyes, filled with hate and impotent rage watched as Rudolphus stopped suddenly. Talking to him self in a mutter, from what she was able to make out. He was convincing himself that it was time to 'divorce her'. Was this how the great Bellatrix LeStrange went out? Killed by her much less powerful husband because she was unable to retaliate

It was almost amusing, if not for the fact she was now certain she was about to die.

-oOo-

"What is it?" Fleur asked. The lustful and sexually charged atmosphere leeching out of the room suddenly

"I'm being called" Harry said, his tone dead.

"By what?" Fleur asked

"The family spells" Harry answered.

"Who?" Cissy asked.

Harry frowned, the air turning icy all of a sudden. "Bellatrix"

"She is a Black," Cissy said with a nod. "Are you going to save her?"

Harry remained unmoving and quiet.

Cissy frowned, worry marring her face, "You're not are you?"

Harry did not say a word.

"Please" Cissy said, drawing his gaze. She quailed under the emotion she could see there. Rage, loss and a few other emotions were gleaming in his emerald depths. "Please. She is my sister. She is a Black."

Harry remained silent. His expression unreadable

"Please" Cissy pressed, "I love my sister, for what she once was. You and I have talked about this in the past. I know your views. You know mine. I am asking you as a member of the Blacks to the Patriarch. Do this for me. I will do anything, anything to save my sister. Please Harry. For me?"

Harry stood suddenly, dressing himself again. He looked at Cissy's pleading gaze, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to her.

"What's this?" Cissy asked only to back off suddenly as Harry disappeared in a swirl of raw magic.

Fleur looked at the parchment in Cissy's hand. It was an address. Her mind whirled for a moment then she nodded, "'Arry will save her. For you I think he will take her there" she said nodding at the parchment.

"I must... go there." Cissy said. Looking relived and worried all at the same time, "I don't even know where it is. I've never heard of Black Isle."

Fleur shrugged, "Nor have I- But his is where he will take her. I 'ope you know what you've asked of him Cissy."

Cissy nodded, she did indeed. She also knew there would be a price, in some fashion, to be paid for this. She was not sure what Harry had planned. However, apparently he did have some sort of plan in mind. This gave her hope, hope that he had listened to her before. When she had been pleading her sister's case to him, she just had not thought she had gotten through to him before now. Apparently, she had enough to make him think of a way to save her sister. She had no idea what it was yet.

She had no idea, what she had just truly asked from Harry.

-oOo-

Fliptrask looked up, first in shock and anger, then in curiosity. "What can I do for you Milord?" he asked. Ignoring for the moment that Harry had just managed to get into his private office without tripping a single alarm,

"Two things" Harry said. His entire demeanour shouting anger, and frustration, Fliptrask hoped none of it was directed at him. "Firstly I apologise for this intrusion. I mean no disrespect. But time is of the essence and I have very little of it."

Fliptrask waved him off, "I am surprised, but not angry Milord."

Harry smiled slightly, but it looked like it cost him to do so. "I'm having the worst day" Harry said with a bitter chuckle, "Firstly; I wish to buy a dragon from you."

Fliptrask looked surprised, then nodded, "The one you call Thisilar?"

Harry nodded, "That's the one"

"I can, and will give him to you for a small fee. Mostly to cover the cost of bringing another dragon to that vault, but I have to ask, how do you intend to remove him?"

"I have a plan for that. I would like you to draw up the papers, let me worry about moving him." Harry said with a slight smile, "Take whatever you think is fair from my vault. However, for the second item... I must be slightly rude."

Fliptrask smiled thinly, "That is not normally a concern to a wizard."

Harry smiled in the same way, "I do not wish to offend someone I consider a friend."

Fliptrask looked a little surprised at that, but smiled properly, "I think I would like that Harry. But why must you be rude?"

"I've heard Goblins are circumspect. I must ask you to confirm that for me, and swear to me that nothing I say from this point will be reported to anyone. Not even your fellow Goblins."

Fliptrask paused, looking at Harry very seriously then he said, "Very well you have my word. I also confirm we are circumspect. What is it you require from me my young Lord?"

Harry took a breath and then began to talk.

Fliptrask's eyes got wider and wider the more Harry spoke.

-oOo-

Bellatrix looked up, a sigh coming to her lips. This looked like it. Finally, perhaps the pain would now end, not only the pain she had caused, but her own as well. Her ribs screamed, her face was bloody and lips cut on her own teeth. Rudolphus had worked himself into a blind rage now. Ready to finish her, it would be kinder to kill her with a curse. He was not a kind man though. His fist was raised into the air. It was covered in blood, her blood. Large knuckles having most of the blood on them, but there was a fair bit of cast off around the place. One of her eyes was now swollen shut and her face blackened.

It was odd to her that in these final moments she felt almost at peace. She had done much that people hated her for. Some she hated herself. Wastes of lines she had not wished to waste. Nevertheless, at the end of the day she had believed in something, and had paid the price. Now she was ready to pay the ultimate price for her life.

Just then, the small cottage shook slightly. Dust falling from the rafters, various items falling over.

Rudolphus was aware enough to look around with a frown on his face. Spittle hanging from his lips from where he had worked himself up

The house shook again, not as much this time, but still things rattled. The loose glass in the ramshackle windows shaking, this time Bella looked around the best she could as well. Could it be that someone had heard her earlier desperate plea? If so, who would answer the plea of one such as her?

Another rumble and shake, this time coming from closer than before, then suddenly something hit the side of the cottage hard, a wall trembled, then was ripped to the side, a massive taloned foot taking away the wall in its entirety.

There was stillness then. Rudolphus had dived off the side, leaving Bellatrix to face this monster alone. She was not too sure she was going to bother. For starters, any dragon big enough to do that would be virtually immune to her magic, secondly, she was not sure she was worth it. Thirdly, if she was she did not have much strength left in her.

There was an odd noise then. Soft of a backwards rushing noise. Then silence.

Had the dragon left? If it had not, then it was acting out of the norm for a dragon in her limited experience.

Just then, a bright stunner streaked into the area, splashing against an upturned table. Leaving a visible scorch mark, the table, being the one that Rudolphus had ducked behind

Bellatrix frowned, and then winced; she should remember not to frown when her face was one big bruise.

Rudolphus poked his head over the table, firing off a few nasty spells as he did so. However, he could not see anything in the gloom of a wintry evening. More spells seared into the room, bright and powerful. Bellatrix did not know many people that had spells like that. Two of whom were unlikely to be coming for her, unless they planned to kill her. The final one she had her doubts about. The Dark Lord did not waste time on family affairs, as he termed them. The one time Bellatrix had tried to get help from that quarter was the last. Therefore, she was at a bit of a loss.

"Come out Rudolphus" a hauntingly familiar voice said. "We must talk you and I."

Bellatrix frowned, 'What the fuck?' she thought to herself.

"Why would I want to talk to you Mudblood lover?" Rudolphus called out.

"Well you see, we can do this the easy way, that way you come out, we talk about this and I let you live. Alternatively, you force option B. That way I come in and get you, make you do what I want then kill you." Harry said, his voice seeming to whisper virtually in their ears. Despite the fact, he was some way outside of the door he had made.

Rudolphus laughed, and shot off a series of curses, ending with an AK in the direction from which Harry's voice had come. The last caused an explosion; apparently, Harry had raised a shield of some sort. Something strong enough that it appeared to stop the Killing Curse, which was virtually unheard of

Dark laughter floated into them. "Option B then" Harry said his voice dark and powerful. A hail of even more powerful than before, spells poured into the room. Rudolphus's hiding place was blown clear away into wood chips, sending the large man scrambling away with a yelp.

"You've already attracted my ire once Rudolphus" Harry said stepping into the room a visible bubble around him. "Do you wish to anger me further?"

Rudolphus growled, "I don't know why you keep meddling in my affairs boy, but you will pay." he said then stood up with every intention of killing this young upstart.

He did not get a chance to fire off a spell before Harry nailed him with a Crucio. Sending the larger man to his knees with a cry of pain

Bellatrix was seriously impressed. This was one Crucio not lacking in efficacy. She would give him ten out of ten for that one. Of course, she may just plain give him one for saving her life. However, in this case that may actually be considered a punishment to Harry

Rudolphus panted as the spell diminished. He got himself together quickly then smiled nastily. "I'll be back," he said, then Appareted with a loud crack.

Harry growled, "Not this time Mother Fucker" he ground out, then held out his hand in a gasping motion. His magic flared dramatically, reaching out through the void in which Apparitions travelled he found what he was looking for. Then with tremendous effect and strength, he grasped. He yanked his hand back.

A thunderous crack later and Rudolphus looked around utterly stunned. "You're going nowhere Rudolphus," Harry said.

Meanwhile Bellatrix was having kittens. What Harry had just done broke every law of magic she knew. Not even the Dark Lord could have pulled that off, not to mention the VISIBLE aura of magic swirling around Harry at that moment. It struck her as funny really. She had wanted saving. Now it was likely she would die still. Just not by Rudolphus's hand, but by Harry's instead, because there was NO WAY he was here to save her, no way in hell. He must have been after Rudolphus for some reason. From what she had heard, because of Cissy, and what Rudolphus had done to her.

"I have something for you to sign LeStrange," Harry said walking over to the stunned and in pain man. Being yanked backwards through an Apparition was not a comfortable feeling. Harry grasped the man's shoulder and pulled him around. Then pulled the much larger man to his feet

"Sign?" Rudolphus said in a confused and scared sounding voice.

Bellatrix loved to hear that tone in his voice. The sick bastard was not even scared of Voldemort. The fact he was scared of Harry was of no surprise to her though. SHE was scared of Harry at that moment in time. She stayed silent though. She was hoping that she would get through this intact, somehow, perhaps by not being noticed.

Harry slammed the large man's head against one of the few standing tables. Then he repeated the process almost to the point that Rudolphus lost consciousness. "Yeah... Sign" he said in a mocking tone. "Are you going to sign like a good boy, or do I have to get testy?"

"I'll sign, I'll sign" Rudolphus said, panic in his voice.

Suddenly there was a legal parchment and a blood quill on the table. Neither Bellatrix nor Rudolphus had even seen Harry move. "So sign" Harry said, his tone low.

"What do I get if I do?" Rudolphus said regaining some of his natural cunning.

SLAM, "Take a guess" Harry said.

The next moment and Rudolphus signed without even looking at what he was doing. He was a bully, and faced with overwhelming force he did what all bullies do. They panic, squirm, and do whatever the bigger bully wants.

Bellatrix felt something go through her. It was a very odd feeling and made her gasp in shock. She cursed herself for it as it drew Harry's gaze. However, she did not see hate in his eyes as she had before. In fact, she was not entirely sure what she saw in his emerald regard.

Rudolphus also felt something, but it caused him even more pain than he was already feeling. It felt to him like his body had been put through a grinder. Sort of the way Apparition always felt but only, a million times more potent. Never mind the fact he was bleeding from the head and had been slammed several times into a table. "I'm free now?" he said hopefully.

Harry laughed, a chilling sound, "Looks like you guessed wrong." he said and slammed the man's head against the table again.

"But...But..." Rudolphus said, "You said I could go if I signed."

"No I didn't. I said guess. You guessed wrong." Harry said, letting the man go and backing off a step. His wand now pointed at the bastards head, "You're a mad dog LeStrange. You know what happens to Mad Dogs don't you?"

Rudolphus's eyes were wide with fear, his face blanched under all the blood.

Harry smiled nastily, "Cissy says hi," he said. Then silently cast an AK. The green light shot from his wand and splashed against Rudolphus. Whose eyes shot wide open and he dropped to the ground limply.

Bellatrix knew she was fucked now, no two ways about it. If she had doubts about Harry's ability to cast the unforgivable killing curse, she did not any more. Not only had he cast it, he had done so with no incantation, not many could do that. She and the dark lord were among that few. Harry was now included in that number.

"Come out Bellatrix... Black" Harry said, his tone showing no emotion. As Bellatrix did as she was told, she noticed his face showed no sign of his emotions either.

"Black?" she asked.

"After a fashion... You are lucky," Harry said. "That your sister still loves you."

Bellatrix frowned. She was fairly sure that Harry was not talking about Andy, they had never gotten on. It looked like she was going to owe her sister Cissy more than she could possibly repay. It looked like the blond had just saved her life. How or why in fact, she was not sure of just yet.

Harry rolled up the official looking parchment. Looking at the yellow paper like roll with an odd expression on his face. He sniffed then and looked at her. His wand came up and Bellatrix thought it had all been a cruel joke. A spell came from the end of his wand and she tensed. His magic washed over her, a refreshing feel to it. Which struck her as odd? Then she opened her eyes, which had shut in reflex, realising with some shock that she had opened both eyes. Since one had just been swollen, shut. He had just healed her. Why on earth would he do that?

"I'm going to reach out and take a hold of you. Do not attack me or I will forget why I am here and kill you where you stand." Harry said.

Bellatrix nodded slowly. So he reached out and grabbed her, none too gently either. A rush of magic went around her, it was oddly... passionate a feeling. Making her feel emotions, she had not felt in a long time. Like lust for instance. When the magic died off, she was looking around at a bleak looking area. A large castle ahead of her that was actually black in colour.

"Welcome to The Isle of Black" Harry said. "Your new home"

Bellatrix looked at him curiously, "What?" she asked.

Harry ignored the question; instead, he reached out and grasped her arm. His hand was directly over her dark mark. With the other hand, he pushed up her sleeve to show it, and then his original hand went over it on her skin. Something compelled him to say, "I'm sorry for the pain." His power leapt to his control, a great deal more potent than before.

Bellatrix screamed

-oOo-

Voldemort screamed.

-oOo-

Snape in his personal quarters began to scream

-oOo-

Across the country, various members of the Death Eaters suddenly screamed.

-oOo-

Bellatrix fell to her knees. Harry following her down, his eyes blazing with raw power as he fought against The Dark Mark. It was essentially a derivation of a slave mark. Which was all very well, but it was changed enough that no one knew how to remove one. Nor did Harry, in fact he suspected he had not gotten a full download from Voldemort, so he was using the brute force method, he had no wish for a marked Death Eater to be on this island. He had no wish for her to be controlled in any way by Voldemort and he wanted it gone. Therefore, he pushed. The veins on his head standing out as he pushed with all his might

Bellatrix's throat was hoarse already, the scream ripped from deep within her. She felt the raw power of Harry's magic flowing in her arm and to her heart and into her very soul. The blackness of the dark marks influence being chased from her body by the primal flow of pure magical power her eyes shined with power as Harry poured more and more raw power into her. The tattoo on her arm starting to change bit by bit, the skull was first to fade. The snake was jerking around as if it was being electrocuted.

Her eyes met Harry's. Stunned into stopping screaming she lapsed into silence. Those emerald orbs seeming to fill her world. The Inky darkness of her soul seemingly began to lighten as more and more of the Dark Mark's influence was flushed from her system. She had a lot of raw power of her own. She was the product of a pure blood family, who had bred for potential. She was a child of that potential. However, never had she experienced such sheer awesome power as she was at that moment.

It felt like hours that she stared mutely into his green eyes. Eyes that seemed to hold the wisdom of the ages in them, glowing with power and lightning crackling in their irises, then suddenly he let her go and she feinted dead away.

Harry reined in his power and it was a struggle. He had never let loose quite like that before. All around them there was a flush of new growth of vegetation. The nearby trees were swaying in an invisible wind. His eyes began to dim down to their normal emerald glow. Then finally, he took a long deep breath and let it out slowly. Finally removing his hand from Bellatrix's arm

Her dark mark was not gone. It was, changed, however. A lightning bolt with a snake wrapped around it. He frowned slightly. It had been his intention to remove the mark entirely. Not change it.

"Huh" he said finally. He sensed no dark magic from the new mark. In fact, he got a feeling of Bellatrix's general health from it instead. He also sensed a great deal of natural magic still in her system. Nevertheless, the taint of the dark magic from before appeared to have gone. Therefore, he chalked this one up as a battle won. Until he was proven wrong, it was all he could do.

Then leaving her unconscious he disappeared in a swirl of magic.

-oOo-

Cissy and Fleur were talking softly to each other when a swirl of magic distracted them. Cissy was on her feet in a flash checking Harry over from head to toe. Much to Fleur's amusement, they had both been worried, but Cissy more so. Since it was at her behest that Harry had gone to save her sister

Harry pushed her back, firmly, but gently.

"Is she?" Cissy said, worried at the dark look in Harry's eyes. Had he arrived too late this time? Had his pause cost her sisters life. Was she mad about that? She had to admit she could not blame him for his hesitation. Nevertheless, at the same time she did not' like that he had either. However, she was not angry either.

"She is fine," Harry said. "She's on the Isle of Black. I've come to get you... if you want to go to her?"

Cissy smiled at him. Flushing a little of the dark feelings he was still feeling away. "Yes, yes please."

"Then go and pack." Harry said, frowning "Is there anyone else from the order here?"

Cissy shook her head, "Only Bill and he left. As you are aware"

Harry nodded, "Go on then I'll wait here" he said and waved at the door. It popped open all the spells on it were disbursed in an instant.

Cissy glanced at Fleur to see that the Frenchwoman was also looking a little concerned at Harry's cold tone. Then the blond rushed off to pack her few belongings in a bag.

Fleur tried a few times to start a conversation with Harry but he just shook his head at her. In truth, he was reeling from all that had happened that day. Also from the very real personal sacrifice, he had just made. Which he wanted Cissy around to talk through, she had to know. Normally he would not tell her, but she had to know that her sisters were safe. He would brush the details aside as much as he could though. He just hoped she was not as intelligent and well read as he suspected she was. Otherwise, things could get... tricky.

Cissy reappeared about 5 minutes later with a small carpetbag. Harry lifted an eyebrow at her.

She smiled slightly, "I don't have much," she said by way of explanation.

Harry nodded, and then caused the door to close behind her again. The spell he had removed going back up in a flash and a few more besides. "I need you to swear me an oath," he said, his tone grave.

"What oath 'Arry?" Fleur said drawing her wand immediately. Which made him smile; Cissy also drew hers and looked at him.

"You must swear that you will tell no one, what I am about to tell you. Or reveal the existence, or location of the Isle of Black."

They so swore to him, a flash of magic coming from them both as they did so.

"Thank you" Harry said with a slight smile. Then he took a deep breath, sitting down as he breathed out. "It wasn't enough to just save her from the situation she was in. To make sure she was safe I had to do more."

"Like what 'Arry?" Fleur asked. Her tone soft and eyes holding much empathy for him... This made him feel quite good inside. It was good to know such people cared for him.

"Firstly, it's my duty to tell you that Rudolphus LeStrange was killed for his crimes against the family." he said formally. Mostly to Cissy

She smiled slightly, a cold gleam in her eyes.

"But that wasn't enough. It was he that was about to kill your sister Cissy. To insure her safety and to remove a piece from Voldemorts board I had to do more than that. I made LeStrange sign the Contract for Bellatrix over to me." Harry said his tone still grave.

"The contract?" Fleur asked for clarification.

Cissy fielded that one, her expression as grave as Harry's voice. "A marriage contract in the old form, it is that single document, in my opinion, that made my sister such a monster in the first place." she smiled thinly, "Harry does not share that opinion though. But then, he didn't know her when she was younger like I did."

"Such have been used against my people," The Veela said, her tone angry. "Disgusting documents, they are a curse, very dark magic's. How could such be used against a member of your family?"

Cissy smiled thinly, "The, then, head of the family was desperate at the time to strengthen their position with the Dark Lord. Signing Bella over to LeStrange was just one way to do that."

"It is despicable." Fleur said plainly and with no room for manoeuvring, but Cissy had no intention of standing up for that piece of power play.

"It was." she agreed.

Fleur looked a bit shocked at that, and then shrugged it off; obviously, it had not been Cissy to sign the document. "You transferred it to you 'Arry? Why?"

"Divorce wasn't enough. Making her a widow was not either. The contract can be- inherited. I strongly suspect that control would have passed to Voldemort if I had not made LeStrange sign it to me. It's been done legally. I had Fliptrask set that up for me. He is likewise sworn to secrecy."

"You realise the full implications of what you have done?" Cissy asked, feeling more curious than any other emotion.

Harry sighed; his hope had been in vain apparently. It appeared Cissy was every bit as intelligent and well read as he had thought. He just nodded.

"You don't have long to consummate the contract." Cissy clarified for him. As if, he did not already know.

"36 Hours" Harry said in a dead voice.

"I owe you a true debt Harry," Cissy said after a long moment.

"I have also... well; I meant to get rid of her mark. But instead I've... urh... changed it." Harry said. "It's linked to me now instead. Not sure how that happened, I was just trying to get rid of It." he then smiled nastily, "Voldemort will be out of commission for a while though." he added his tone dripping with satisfaction. "I felt his pain via the mark. It was actually quite pleasant."

Cissy laughed slightly, "I expect it was. If you can do all that, I wonder why you've not taken the battle to him."

"I have no idea where he is. Moreover, it is not that simple. I need to know how he survived the first time before I kill the bastard again." He told her.

"What of this... Isle of Noir, non, Black" Fleur asked.

"Want to see it?" Harry asked with a smile.

Fleur paused then smiled at him radiantly, "Oui"

Harry reached out his hands, "Grab a hold of me ladies," he said. They did and they all disappeared in a swirl of magical lights.

-oOo-

"Mon dieu" Fleur breathed, as she and Cissy staggered from Harry. A slight smile was on each of their faces.

"You alright ladies?" Harry asked.

"It is quite the... Rush," Fleur said smiling.

Then they looked around. Cissy spotting her sister prone of the ground, she went over to the dark haired Black sister immediately.

"What is this place?" Fleur asked.

"The Isle of Black. It is a magical island. Very old, hidden probably a thousand years ago. It has a Fidelius like charm up around the entire island. It is actually quite big. Know the Isle of Mann?" he asked.

Fleur nodded.

"It's about the size of that. There is a small fishing village at the western edge. But not many live there. A few magical species, but basically it's a bolthole. I found out about it recently. I was going over some documents from the Black estate when I came across this. I suppose, more accurately its The Isle of Potter now," he said with a slight smile. He nodded to the large black, in colour, castle. "That's Black Castle. It is not named for the family but for obvious reasons. It is constructed out of onyx-like stone and black marble. It is almost as old as Hogwarts. Apparently, Slytherin helped them make it. The Slytherin and Black houses back then had a treaty of sorts." he shrugged, "No doubt it's got all sorts of tricks. The entire island is pretty much forgotten about. Just a few low-key legends, only the head of the family knows about it. Which is me now." he looked over at Cissy. The blond was fussing over her sister, but appeared to be listening.

He smiled, "I didn't want to hurt her. It was the only way," he said to Cissy.

"I know Harry. I know. I thank you, and as I said I owe you a debt," she said seriously.

Harry flashed a smile, "Promise to finish what we started and I'll call it even" he said tongue in cheek.

Cissy laughed, feeling lighter for it.

Fleur leaned into Harry, "I owe you no debt. But I'll gladly do as you ask" she said with an exaggerated wink. Then she looked around. "It is... bleak non?"

"At the moment yeah, but only the magic has been maintaining the place. Once I refresh the wards, put up some others. It will be like a home from home. Or, in fact, just plain home really. I'll make you both Port Keys" he said, then looked at Cissy seriously, "I must ask you don't 'lend' it to Bellatrix. You and Fleur have my trust. She does not. Once I ... oh god... consummate the contract, she will be obliged to follow my wishes. Until then there is a danger she will report to her master."

Fleur leaned on him again. Her very presence making him feel lighter, "She is ... attractive non?" she asked.

Harry looked at the second Black sister. He was trying to see her without preconception. "Perhaps" he admitted grudgingly.

"She is... your wife?"

"Hell no" Harry said quickly. "No ceremony no marriage, she is contractually obligated to me, nothing more. Thank god. No offence Cissy, but I have no wish to be married to the woman that killed Sirius, it's bad enough that I have to... do that with her. More than once at that"

Cissy nodded, "I understand Harry. I cannot thank you enough, I really cannot. You make jokes, but I owe you a debt. A mere blow job won't repay it," she said, the last with a smirk.

Harry smirked back at her. Then looked at the castle meaningfully, "Well, as I understand it. There is a magically stocked cold storage, a wine cellar and various other means of getting things. So... we should go into the castle and see what there is to see non? I mean no?"

Fleur smirked, "I am getting to you non?"

Harry smirked at her. Taking her hand as he walked to Cissy and the prone form of Bellatrix, He levitated Bellatrix easily, and Fleur reached for Cissy. In a row, with Bellatrix floating beside them they walked into the castle.

Once they walked into the main entrance the look of the place had them all gob smacked. "Wow" Harry said looking around. The walls gleamed with the reflected light of the torches lighting the hallways. It was amazingly clean looking and his single spoken word echoed down the hallways around them.

"It iz as big as 'ogwarts" Fleur said.

"Actually, and this is just a theory. I think this was going to be a replacement school. You remember the legend of why Salazar Slytherin left?"

Cissy nodded, but Fleur shook her head. "Okay" Harry said for the Frenchwoman's benefit. "Hogwarts was started by the four, but Salazar eventually reached the conclusion that Magic should only be taught to those he deemed worthy... Pure Bloods in other words. The others did not agree. Leading to a rift in the ranks, with three on one side and Salazar on the outside looking in, he put in the Chamber of Secrets I think out of a sense of revenge, or a weapon to be used later." Harry said, leading them further into the school. The place was devoid of moving portraits. However, there were a few stained glass windows that would make the walls glow in the daytime Harry was sure.

"So you think he built this or helped the Blacks build it to replace Hogwarts?" Cissy asked.

"Yeah I do. However, I think Godric Gryffindor got to him before they could reveal it, or open it whatever. This is all just a pet theory though. Nothing in the documents more than hinted at the idea." Harry looked around, "But look at it- It's a bit big for just somewhere to live don't you think?"

Cissy nodded, "It also makes a twisted sort of sense. If he had gotten it open though, the world would be even more fractured than it is already."

"Oui, I am glad he did not." Fleur put in.

"So am I. For two reasons. What Cissy said, and secondly because this is mine now" Harry said with a grin.

Then they walked around a corner and came to a stop in front of a set of double doors. Huge and reaching to the roof they were impressive to say the least.

"Whoa" Harry said. Then they extracted from each other's grips and pushed on the doors. They actually swung back easily. Almost like, they had been oiled that day, "Got to give credit where it's due." Harry said, as the doors swung wide. "He built well... holy shit."

Fleur and Cissy shared in his comment. Looking up and around in a sort of stunned amazement.

The Grand Hall lived up to its name. There was no enchantment on the ceiling as in Hogwarts. Instead, it was actually made of what appeared to be crystal. Rather than glass, the last rays of the sun shining through and splitting into a rainbow. The huge stained glass windows flooded with the remaining light. Somehow seeming to suck every bit of sunlight available to positively glow with a riot of colour, the windows themselves showed various magical animals, including dragons, Griffins and even a Nundu.

Harry smirked, "Want to bet he was going to name the houses after mystical creatures?" he asked rhetorically. "Four windows with magical animals, all around the hall and spaced equally. It just has to be. Dragon, Griffin, Nundu and of course Basilisk" Harry said, his tone dry and humorous.

Fleur smiled, walking into the room. Her heeled shoes clicking on the polished and solid granite of the flooring, she looked around with an amazed look. "Zis would've been an amazing school." she commented.

Harry nodded, "Yep. I am going to have a devil of a time finding the houses, and the various offices that just have to be here. For now" he said and then waved his arm to either side of him. Several rows of beds appeared a long table in the centre of the room. Then the beds were sectioned off as a wall grew around them, doorways appearing as the wall grew. The magic died down leaving workable living quarters. "This will have to do. It is close to the entrance. Appears to be safe and is warm," he said. "Until I've had a good look around I'd be grateful if you'd not venture far from here. I don't personally think Salazar was as bad as everyone says. That said, I want to be sure of that fact before I let my friends get caught in a trap or something, I honestly doubt there are any, but just in case..." he shrugged. Then floated Bellatrix to a nearby 'bedroom' the door popping open as she got to it, then he floated her onto the bed. The door then shut.

"I will do as you say Harry," Cissy said. "I was in Slytherin, that doesn't mean I trust the bloke"

Harry laughed and nodded his agreement to that statement.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Harry walked, for a change, from his Slytherin quarters. He did not think spending the night in the dorm or anywhere near, Bellatrix was a good idea. Firstly, he had no idea how steamed Ron had gotten. Secondly, he did not want to give in to his more draconian nature and kill Bellatrix. It was almost funny that he had to sleep with the woman. Merely to do a favour for someone that he actually cared about. Though had anyone told him he would do such a thing for Draco Malfoy's mum in the past he would have laughed in their face, he had briefly gone near his house, mostly to work on the portal. He needed a laugh that morning, and he just hoped that Tracey had kept up her part.

Yes, he needed a laugh for sure. Not only had yesterday been physically and magically draining. However, with all that had happened, it had been emotionally draining as well. He now knew the power of a good laugh. He just hoped it was enough to get his mind over what he would have to do that night.

It struck him as almost amusing that he had to sleep with her of all people. Well, perhaps sleep was going too far. There was no way he would fall asleep around her. Talk about a suicidal thing to do. No, he had to shag her, possibly more than once. This is where the magic met legality. He had to consummate, and complete within her. He did not have to sire a child thank god, but sex he had to have. The more than once was if the magic did not trigger. The actual legal part would be fulfilled as soon as he reached completion. Frankly, he was a bit worried he might not be able to do that. She was without doubt attractive. But by the same token, she wasn't. As in, she looked good enough, but he knew what she was and that was somewhat of a turn off to say the least. If things did not work out first time, he would have to keep going until the magic finally triggered. Thankfully, the deadline closed that night, and even though he may have to keep going, she would be 'semi' bound to him. To get her to follow his requests, the second level had to trigger.

He had to wonder what Sirius would say to this situation. Though a snippet of a conversation came to him at that moment, he and Sirius had been having a sort of adult conversation. Adult as in content, more than the maturity, they had been talking about the opposite sex, to quote Sirius about his cousin Bellatrix.

'If she wasn't an insane bitch, or so closely related... I'd do her.'

He could damn near hear his voice as he remembered his godfather's words. He had been more enthusiastic about Cissy and Andy. Especially Andy actually, which made him wonder if there had been a bit of a 'kissing cousins' situation with Tonks's mum and Sirius.

Harry actually smiled at that thought. One had to wonder what Tonks's reaction would be to that idea.

Still, would Sirius be baying for Bellatrix's blood, or would he be egging Harry on with a 'give her one from me' type comment. Knowing his godfather as he did, he suspected the later. The man was a dog in quite a few meanings of the word. However, that conversation they had had was before Bellatrix had fired off the spell that had caused Sirius to be caught by the veil. Oddly enough, Sirius only seemed to have room for one bit of revenge in his heart. That was obviously Peter Pettigrew and it was little wonder. Therefore, there would be no reprieves for Pettigrew. He would die, and he would die screaming if Harry had a say in it.

He shook off the dark turn of his thoughts. Sometimes, just occasionally, it was difficult to stay up beat. There were a few advantages he had to remember that. Last night had been an exercise. He had hurt Voldemort, possibly putting him down for the count for a while. He had 'sort of removed' a dark mark. He had snatched a member of the family form the jaws of death... again. He had a double blowjob, or the start of one. Now THAT was something that put a smile back on his face. He really wanted to finish that sometime. Cissy and Fleur were both astoundingly sexy in their own ways. Fleur was probably the sexiest woman he had ever met thus far. He would have a hard time thinking of anyone that could beat her for sheer sultry, sexy wow factor.

If he did meet someone that could beat her, he was going to grab a hold of them with both hands. He chuckled to himself, glad there was no one around to hear him. Being in the depths of the school had a few advantages like that.

A smile now firmly planted in place he sped up. He wanted to arrive at around the same time as everyone else. Or he would be missing the fun now wouldn't he.

-oOo-

Professor Albus Dumbledore had been teaching a great many years now. More than many teachers in fact, something like 80 years of teaching to the last 30 odd being a headmaster. He had thought he had pretty much seen it all by now.

Until now,

He had met some of the very best pranksters in the 'trade'. Hell, unofficially he tended to help them. That said, there was a new prankster in the school, their scope was unique, their leanings slightly Muggle. At first, he had been sure it was Harry. He had quite the linage there after all. He did not know it, but even his grandfather had been a prankster. The Potters were quite well known for it in fact. That was not even counting the Marauders and then the Weasley twins. All of whom Harry had contact with in one way or another, but then Harry had been caught in his first prank. From all accounts, he had nothing to hide. However, this time Dumbledore was a little confused.

His outward appearance showed none of the extreme giggle fit he was on the verge of. Currently his entire school was doing a Congo line around the Great Hall. All of them shouting out the traditional... theme to go with it, dancing along, hopping at times, and laughing their heads off, whoever had set the spell had caught everyone. The Headmaster had never seen a prankster catch the entire school. Worse, some of the professors had been caught up in the line. Frankly, Dumbledore was not sure if they were actually under the same spell. The spell itself appeared to force the pranked one into the dance. The fact that nearly everyone was laughing their heads off was not part of the spell best he could tell.

His twinkling blue eyes caught Harry coming into the room. 'Interesting' Dumbledore thought to himself. Noticing that Harry acted differently, where as most students began dancing as soon as they walked in Harry did not, he paused, laughed loudly, and then inserted himself into the line. This was another difference. Normally new participants joined the end. Though the Headmaster noted he managed to insert himself between two of the more attractive girls in his year. Even if they were in Slytherin house, houses meaning nothing to a libido after all

Once between Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass, and still laughing fit to burst, Harry began to dance along with them. Dumbledore noted that Tracey, who was behind Harry leaned forward on tiptoe and whispered in Harry's ear.

'Fascinating' Dumbledore thought with an inner cackle. If anyone could break the house boundaries, it just had to be Harry. For one thing, Daphne Greengrass seemed to be enjoying the fact that Harry was holding her rather close. Tracey was behind and holding Harry close too.

'Bloody Brilliant' Dumbledore surmised. He should probably stop the spell. If it were anything like the last one, a simple finite would do the trick. Odd that he could not seem to find his wand. He noted that his normally stern Transfiguration professor was currently laughing so hard she was sliding under the table. Even Severus looked amused, which was another sign that something had changed with him of late. The new Arts and Crafts Professor Capelle Zabini was laughing so hard that tears were actually pouring down her sculpted cheeks. A show of emotion that was unusual to say the least. Professors Vector and Flitwick had been caught up with the spell and were bopping along as if they did not have a care in the world.

Dumbledore managed to catch Harry's eyes. Which had more life in them at that moment than Albus had ever seen. It did his old heart good to see that. In addition, the wink that Harry tossed him confirmed all the Headmaster needed to know. It was not an outright admission of guilt though. That meant that officially the Headmaster could mark this up as 'Pranking by Anonymous' in his log.

Hagrid walked in then, and looked around. His beetle black eyes twinkling before Harry passed him and grabbed the large man's hand. Pulling him into the line, so that the half giant ended up also doing a conga round the hall

Finally, it got too much for the elderly Head of school and he tipped his head back and just roared with laughter.

-oOo-

Breakfast was a much livelier affair than normal. After the impromptu dancing, everyone was feeling oddly light. There were a few notable exceptions though. Draco and his bookends seemed to forget that they were young and supposed to have fun, or Draco did and his bookends followed suit. Meaning the blond was dour and thus pretty much ignored by his peers for a change. This did not help his mood in the least

Therefore, it was an upbeat breakfast. Which given that they were essentially in wartime was a good thing; it meant they could act their age. There was much laughter and joking flowing around the hall. Even up on the staff table the jokes flowed like wine and the laughter like a fine aromatic cigar smoke.

Severus – I am Feared- Snape smiled at the beautiful woman beside him. It was not a thin smile; it was not full of malice. It was in fact a frankly charming smile. "Then she said: How did that gnome get there" he finished his little story. His beautiful counterpart laughing gaily at his words, he felt that shift again, the odd little... quiver... in his stomach. She was such an enticing woman. He had not met a woman like this since... His mind shied away from that thought, but the fact was true. Even if he could not bring him to think her name, his smile remained on his face, but his eyes changed a bit. Enough that the student of human nature artist noticed

"Is something the matter Severus?" she asked her voice like chocolate and a balm for his dark soul.

He nodded, "Just a random memory" he said.

Their eyes met for a while. Almost amber eyes, meeting almost black eyes, Capelle's lips curled into a smile. "Should I be jealous?" she asked.

Snape registered shock and then smiled widely, "No" he said simply.

"Good" she replied. Her eyes were twinkling in that typically feminine fashion.

Snape felt eyes on him and looked around the hall. Only to find Harry smirked at him. Did that young man miss nothing now! Damn him. Snapes lips quivered slightly. He was much more like his mother now. To the point that Snape actually liked the little bugger, which wasn't doing his image all that much good, Harry may look like his father, and Snape suspected he pranked as much as his father. However, the thoughts behind the pranks and the look behind his mother's eyes were those of Lily Evans. The Lily Evans that Severus Snape had fallen for all those years ago. He doubted that Harry understood just how devious his Mother had been. She should have been in Slytherin in fact. Severus had the oddest urge to stick his tongue out at the boy. Which Harry appeared to read, because the young man began to laugh.

Snape rolled his eyes and focused back on the Beautiful artist beside him. He was not sure how she had ended up sitting next to him. Nevertheless, he was glad of it. However, he suspected that The Headmaster and Harry had a lot to do with it. It was true. The stick was coming looser and looser every day. Mostly due to this beautiful professor beside him, she was already the cause of much teenage crushing. She had not even had a single class yet. Her first was due that evening. Not that he could blame them in the least.

Capelle looked to where Severus had been looking to see Harry laughing with a knowing smile on his face. She did not know her assistant that well yet. However, she knew a few things. His peers and the teachers alike respected him. He was VERY intelligent. A warrior wrapped in the shell of a lover, if she was any judge- and she was. He was also, as she had found the night before, the source of her fee. A fee that had she known what she was coming to teach, or at least who, she probably would have waived. Dean Thomas, who was sat in front of Harry and joking around with the green eyed young man, was without doubt talented, Probably the most talented artist she had seen since... well... her. She looked forward to crafting that potential into skill and seeing what he could really do. He was, by his own admission mostly a sketch artist at that point. Nevertheless, the sculpture he had began in normal clay, and the one in Gongari he had completed where amazing.

"Knut for them?" she heard. The silky tones of the Potions Professor making her smile even more. He had a wonderful voice. He certainly was not classically attractive, but that voice gave her the nice sort of shivers.

"They may not be worth it," she teased, looking into his deep and dark eyes. She could tell that he was an injured soul. It spoke to her in a way; she had always been a sucker for a bird with an injured wing.

"I strongly suspect they are," he purred at her. It was not an intentional purr she knew. However, since he was speaking softly he could not help it. Merlin she loved that voice.

A smile lit her face, "I was thinking of my assistant, and why I was brought here."

Snape cocked and eyebrow at her quizzically. "Harry? And Mr Thomas?" he asked for clarification.

She nodded. "Yes, he is... interesting isn't he."

Severus, had this been last year, would have sneered at the very thought. Nevertheless, his thoughts on Harry had changed drastically this year so far. "Indeed he is." a smile quirked his lip, "Perhaps it is my turn to be jealous?" he asked teasingly.

Capelle laughed again, "No, I just find him interesting. He is positively revered by his peers. The teachers seem to adore him. Even you, the most feared of all teachers," she said adding a smile ", seem to like him."

Snape looked a little serious for a moment, "It wasn't always that way. Before this year, Harry and I... did not get along. He has matured greatly and I will admit... so have I. We have reached an accord and in fact seem to work well together. I respect him now for who he is... Not hate him for who his father was."

Capelle nodded, "We live and learn," she said seriously.

"One hopes so," Snape said much less seriously.

-oOo-

Harry looked up and around, he was doing his first stint as Assistant professor for Professor Zabini. The class actually had a good turn out. Some real talent was rearing its head in the school. From a few quite surprising sources, Dean was a given. His entire house thought he was talented. He probably ranked the top slot for sheer raw talent. That said, there were a few people that stood out

Pansy Parkinson for one, she had a knack with charcoal. Her sketches in that format where alive, literally, since the charcoal was made with Gongari clay, burned and smoked to create what was essentially charcoal. Therefore, with the correct spell commands the picture began to animate a bit. It was true that any picture could be animated a little with magic. Using the Gongari though made it LIVE. Harry walked over to her, standing silently behind her. He was no artist himself. However, the wealth of knowledge in his head actually covered topics that had little to do with fighting. Dumbledore himself was not without some small talents in the area. He had a love of music and a knowledge that amazed Harry. The old man actually used to play about five instruments. Meaning in truth that it was likely, Harry could now with enough practice. Therefore, he was able to judge a work of art given quite a few criteria. The Headmaster had a good theoretical knowledge, which helped. Voldemort thought it frivolous and had no knowledge on the subject at all. Oddly enough, Snape was actually an art lover and critic of some surprising knowledge. On the other hand, not when you considered that his main project for the last 20 years had been Gongari clay. The stuff that the magical art world virtually revolved around, so between his 'donors' he was able to say that Pansy had talent and some potential to branch out a bit.

"Have you tried using pencil?" Harry asked. Causing the black haired Slytherin girl to jerk in surprise

Turning to him with a curious look, "Pardon" she said.

"Have you tried pencil?" he asked. Then reached around her and picked up a soft pencil. "I can teach you the spells to animate. But pencil allows a bit more definition control." he said, in a low tone. Draco had not come, thank god. However, he did not want to embarrass the girl if he could help it.

Pansy frowned slightly, "Why are you talking to me?" she asked.

Harry frowned, god the divide sucked at times. House rivalries and the alike scuppered polite conversation at times, "It's my job to" he said with a charming smile. "I can bugger off though if..."

"No, it's alright... I forgot you're the assistant," she said, blushing slightly. "I've never tried pencil." she eventually answered his original question.

Harry smiled charmingly at her, more to put her at ease than chat her up. "Give it a go, I think you have to be a little more... gentle, but I think you might like it," he said, passing the pencil to her. Like everything else in the class, it was of magical origin. He had been the one to introduce normal clay. Other than that, Capelle Zabini tended to work with magical materials and tools.

She flashed him a slight smile. So Harry backed off, he was obviously making her uncomfortable. He had no real wish to do that. Instead, he walked back to his 'nook'. Where he himself was working on something, having had only a primary school education he did not know many Muggle teachings. That said, he had quite liked woodworking, in a vice he had conjured was a just under an inch thick board of plywood. He was using magic and sand paper to smooth it down and generally keeping himself amused. It was about two feet long and about half a foot wide. He had a plan for this piece of wood that would amuse him no end if it worked.

Frankly, he needed something to keep his mind off later that night. He had this class and a DA meeting then bang, he had to go shag a murder.

No his life was not weird at all, not at all.

"Whatcha making mate?" Dean said, leaning round his canvas to speak to Harry.

Harry smirked, and then released the board from the vice. He then held it up, "What do you think I'm making?" he asked.

Dean looked at the board thoughtfully. Then his eyes brightened and he grinned, "No way." he said laughing.

"Oh yes" Harry said with a grin. "I just hope I don't end up breaking my fool neck."

"But... how here?" Dean asked.

"Well, let's just say I ain't going to be using wheels." Harry said with a big grin. He pulled out his wand, and as Dead, chuckling, went back to his latest masterpiece, Harry began casting. His wand work was pretty much flawless these days. He was using some standard spells but layering them in ways that most would not dream of doing. On the top of the board, he sent a spell that caused both ends to curl up slightly. Then another caused it to sort of bow along the length. Making it slightly concave, his face a mask of concentration he then began to layer some slight sticking charms on the 'top' side.

By this point his constant stream of magic had drawn and audience. Namely, Capelle and Dean, with a few curious looks from the other students, Harry who was concentrating did not notice. Instead, with a negligent flick of his wand sent the board turning over. Then he remained motionless for a moment. A flash of a smile came to his face. His wand went behind his ear in a way reminiscent of Luna. A notepad came out of his bag and a biro followed it. Then he put the pad down flat on his 'worktable' and began to scribble equations.

He worked for about 10 minutes solid, and then began to work on rune schema, all under the watchful eyes of Capelle. The only one that had remained watching, her face a study in fascination

Once he was happy with the runes, he reached blindly for a scraping tool. A tiny little chisel in fact, then tongue caught between his teeth he began to create the rune scheme. Another ten minutes later, he nodded to himself. Then retrieved his wand and it flowed in an attractive way as he cast solidly for another 5 minutes. A low hum filled the room by the end of his casting sequence and he let out a breath.

Dean looked at him, "That's never going to work," he said with a grin.

Harry looked at him and smirked. Then flicked his wand at the board, it dropped to the floor, landing on its bottom side, it bobbed slightly then stabilised floating about an inch and a half off of the floor.

Dean clapped his hands laughing his head off. "Fan-Bloody-Tastic mate."

"What is it?" Capelle was forced to ask. Her curiosity getting the better of her

Harry walked around his desk without answering her, and then carefully stood on the board. It sunk less than a centimetre.

"Oh yeah... if that works out mate... PLEASE make me one," Dean said laughing still.

"Yes, but what is the point?" Capelle asked.

"It's a bloody skateboard." Dean said still laughing his head of with glee. "Oh man Harry, you are something else mate."

Harry smirked, and then used a foot to 'push' himself along. The skateboard and he wobbled a bit. Nevertheless, he had an amazing sense of balance from flying and fighting. Meaning he did not' come a cropper and instead 'floated' over to the edge of the classroom.

"But..." Dean said semi seriously, "Other than crashing head first into a wall, how do you stop?"

"Same as normal" Harry said, lifting his lead leg and pushing down with the tailing leg. The board tilted upwards. "There's a sort of sticking field at the back. Bit like a stopper on a roller-skate.," he explained. With a grin

"Give me it" Dean said with a matching grin, "I'll decorate a board for you to be proud of" he promised.

Harry smiled, and then kicked up the board, handing it to the young artist. "Okay mate, do that for me... I'll start on yours"

"Woohoo" Dean said with a grin, "I love skateboarding," he said enthusiastically.

"I'm not sure that's art," Capelle said with a slight smile, "But I applaud your ingenuity"

"Thank you Professor. I've been toying with a few magical equivalents of Muggle ... urh... toys." then he laughed, "Anyway, wait till Dean decorates it. Gonna do it traditional style?" Harry asked.

"Yeah... with a magical twist I think" Dean said. He had moved over to a black 'notepad' like arrangement. Only it was the size of an A1 sheet and blank paper. Another of Harry's little innovations for the room, he sketched out a design in mere minutes. With Harry and Capelle watching him

Capelle then looked at the pencil sketch critically. "I have seen this style before... Normally on walls." she commented. "In the Muggle world only though, where did you pick up the style?"

Dean smirked, "A misspent youth Professor" he explained.

Which caused Harry to start laughing again; much to the non-Muggle born's confusion.

-oOo-

"Woohoo, coming through" Dean yelled, with Harry laughing his arse off from not far behind. It was of little doubt who had the most experience on a Skateboard to Harry. Dean was flashing along at a fair clip, sending people running off all around him. With Harry following behind smiling his head off, revelling in being young and having a new, rather fun, way of entertaining himself

Dean casually made the board change ends, with a practised movement. Harry then duplicated the move, by following what Dean did exactly. They were finished with Art Class. They were now 'heading' for the Room of requirement. Which gave them a perfect excuse to try out their as yet undecorated boards, frankly, from the curious looks and in some cases explosions of glee, he could see a serious market for these things.

He would have to contact the twins. Better yet, they needed to set up some sort of formal business arrangement and expand quite a bit. Harry had once thought he was going to drag the Wizarding world into this century kicking and screaming. Now he had many ideas on how to do that. Almost subtly in fact, using things like the twin's excellent phones, or his CD charm, or even this Skateboarding 'invention', he wasn't sure it counted as an actual invention if he had copied the original idea or not. However, with those and a few other things he had on the back burner... It was quite possible that he and the twins could revolutionise the Wizarding world without anyone really noticing.

Which made Harry all kinds of amused.

He hit the brakes, sliding round a corner just the way Dean had. Frankly, Harry was learning all sorts about 'boarding from his artistic friend. It was also fun as hell.

"Whoa" Dean's voice called out from ahead. Drawing Harry's attention, the artist reached down, and grabbed his board and jumped upwards. He kicked his legs backwards a bit, and managed to get the board on a banister. The slid all the way down the sudden staircase to the next floor.

Harry let out a whoop. Then not to be out done, he tried his best to duplicate Dean's move. Ending up bouncing down the stairs on his arse instead

Dean came to a sudden halt, face shocked. Then a big fat smile broke out on his face. Harry was lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs laughing his arse off.

"OW" Harry laughed, "OW" he tried again, but he was giggling so much he could not get out the rest of the sentence.

"You crazy bastard" Dean said with admiration. "You don't try that first night man!"

Harry laughed, and rolled onto his back, "Ow" he commented.

-oOo-

Hermione looked at the door to the Room of Requirement in shock. Dean and Harry had just exploded into the room floating on what looked like wheel-less skateboards. She shook her head; she MUST be seeing things surely.

Harry promptly fell off his board, since he was STILL laughing hard. All around Hermione, the various members of the DA club looked at Harry as if he was mad. Frankly, Hermione was never entirely sure he was not. She walked over to him and offered him a hand up.

Harry rolled on his back and smirked at her, "Hey beautiful" he said with a wink. Then took her hand and let her help him to his feet. He rubbed his bum absently. Dean meanwhile rolled, or is that glided, over on his board. The young man was shaking his head with admiration if Hermione was any judge.

"You're insane mate" Dean commented wryly. "Normally after a spill like that, you take a break. Not get back on the board ten seconds later."

Harry shrugged, with a slight wince, "Ow" he commented, and then smiled. "I don't know the meaning of the word Quit" he commented with a fake arrogant smile, before exploding into laughter again. "Oh I love those things." he commented, kicking up his board and laying it against the wall. Then he became a little more serious. Dean followed his example and put his board beside Harrys'.

Harry looked out at the room. It was pretty full. A lot of forth years and above where there, the age range he had agreed with Professor Dumbledore would be best suited. It also kept his workload down a bit. Professor Snape swept into the room. A half smile on his face.

"Hello Harry" he said by way of greeting, "You've created a bit of a stir" he commented.

Harry flashed him a grin. "Hello Professor Snape... Did I? Imagine that." he said tongue in cheek. Then turned towards the front and got a look of concentration on his face. The room swam into focus, a new room at that. A sort of classroom arrangement with desks lined up one for each student there. Snape dodged a larger desk that appeared at the front of the class and looked slightly impressed.

"Right then" Harry called out, causing all present to look at him. He noted that Draco was there, with his usual posse. Some other Slytherin's and a scattering of people from each house, which was good, the entire Ministry crew where there. Luna at the front with a twinkle in her eye, he did love that twinkle. He also looked forward to getting to know her better. However, time had not been his friend there. "This lesson is split into two rough halves," he said. "First off though a quick demonstration. Then I'm sorry, but some studying." he said to some groaning. "I know, I know. We didn't study last year, but what I'm about to show you takes some serious knowledge of spells."

That quietened the class down a bit.

"It's very simple in theory," Harry said. "I call it Spell Chaining"

Professor Snape leaned against the desk and looked at him curiously.

"I've kind of made it up... But, it's effective." Harry said. Then with a casual wave, he conjured a basketball. "See this? This is going to be our friend," he said with a grin. "It's a Basket Ball for those of you that don't know," he said. "With one slight difference, it's got a shield charm on it. Because we don't want to go blowing it up."

He reached down and picked up the large ball, bouncing it a little. "Right, Spell Chaining demo 1-o-1" he said then dropped the ball. He stopped the bouncing with his foot. Then kicked it against the nearby wall, he angled himself so the class could see. Meaning Snape had to move a bit to see himself.

The he drew his wand and held it point up. "The theory as I said is simple. I am going to cast three spells. However, there will not be a pause between casts. Most of you can cast silently now. So that helps, but those that cannot don't worry. You just have to learn to speak fast. The words of a spell are not very important really. The movements of your wand are" Harry said. This was not something he required actually to cast a chain. However, his pupils did not have the advantages he did.

"The three spells I'm going to cast are Levitation, A Stunner, and finally a bone breaker. These are not randomly chosen. As chains go it's not a LOT of use. But... watch."

Harry's wand began to dance. The ball lifted, then was batted backwards and finally exploded at the last movement of Harry's wand. "Whoops. I need to work on that shield apparently" he said to a silent room. From first movement to last, he had moved his wand for less than 5 seconds. So he then further shocked them. "I was going slowly so you could make out the movements." he said. "The fact is, that you can cast three or more spells in less than 2 seconds." he said. Then conjured another basketball, it was put in place. Harry's wand became a blur and the ball burst again. This time they had not been able to follow the movements, and the ball had hardly managed to lift.

"Like I said, not a great chain, but it's only a demo. You have to know your spells for this, but ANYONE can do chaining. You have to pick spells that end with a movement that will be close to or exactly the same as the start movement for the next spell to be cast. That sounds hard. But the fact of the matter is that most spells use common movements. Ask Professor Flitwick if you don't believe me" Harry said with a smirk. Knowing damn well most wouldn't believe him straight away.

"The upshot is that you can cast fast. Now Chains more than... Oh I dunno 6 movements. They aren't going to be a lot of good in a battle. Because you have to duck and dive and all that, which breaks the chain, but being able to chain cast 5 spells at your enemy in a flow means that you can shatter their shield, hit them with a stunner and bind them in one flowing cast." Harry told his class.

Even Professor Snape was making a mental note of this information.

"Right, for the next ... half an hour. I need to set up something. Giving you lot a chance to learn some spells from the books that will appear shortly. Try to find spells that you can chain. Then make a note of them. We'll run through them afterwards. Don't worry about how 'useful' a chain is right now. Just get the habit of thinking of spells that can be cast in a chain... Okay? Any questions?"

There was a resounding silence at that. SO Harry waved at the desks. A pile of books appeared on each desk with quills and parchment already in place. "Have at it then" he said with a smile. He turned to Professor Snape, who was looking at him with an impressed expression. "Professor, can I get your help?"

"Of course Harry" Snape said. Then follow his assistant to the back of the room. They went through the door that had appeared there and Harry made sure to close it behind them. "That's amazing Harry" Snape said finally. "I've never thought of doing that. Not even Aurors have thought of that."

Harry shrugged, "The theory has been banging around for a while now. But no one has taken that step and started to create chains." he said self deprecatingly.

"But you did" Snape said. "That's impressive"

"Thank you." Harry said with a slight blush. In truth he would never have been able to come up with the idea if not for his 'donors' impressive memory for, and knowledge of, spells. But now he had, he intended to share. It gave those that could cast that way a singular advantage in battle situations. By teaching the forth years to do it now, well by time they left school they would be awesome.

"How many chains have you come up with so far... and how long are they?" Severus asked.

"Not that many for each 'grouping'. I tend to group in length. 3,4,5 and a couple of 6's. I have quite a few 3's. Not many 6's. Mostly 4's and 5's. Leaning to move your wand fast and still maintaining the correct movements is the hardest part really. The spell diagrams in all the books make creating chains fairly easy." Harry said. "Then you have to memorise them. It's not something you can do off the cuff really."

"No, I would image not. Is this a new idea? You didn't use it in our mock battle."

"No it's new, as in less than a couple of a days new" Harry said. "I was working on a little something I'm toying with and noticed the spells I was casting flowed from one to the other fairly well. I then tapped my ... stolen... knowledge" He grinned at that, "and started to think of why and how they did that." he shrugged, "From there it was easy"

Severus smirked. The boy had a way of creating connections that was far from easy. But it was pointless telling him that. His mother had been the same actually. "What are we setting up here?"

"Right" Harry said with a nod, "I don't actually need help with this" he said and created what looked to be a bowling alley with a lane for each person in the class. "I actually wanted to talk to you. I thought we could talk while I set up."

Snape nodded, "What can I do for you Harry?" he asked.

"Well, you aren't going to like how I start but it's easier this way." Harry said.

"Oh dear, go one." Snape said with a slight chuckle.

"I've give you odds that Volde-face has your number." Harry said bluntly. "He's made you into an unwitting Double agent in my humble opinion."

Snape blanched at that thought.

"Soon he's going to tire of that game, then he'll kill you."

Snape nodded, "If you're correct that would be my best guess too."

"Well, my suggestion is this..."

"..Stop spying?" Snape guessed.

Harry nodded.

"I would, but he can still call me too him. It wouldn't matter if I stopped, he would still kill me, probably sooner if I stop. I would be of no use to him then would I?"

"You can't ignore the call?" Harry said conjuring another basket ball. Drawing his wand he began casting on it.

Snape shook his head. "For a while yes, but after a short while the pain becomes far too intense."

"That's what I thought. Well, last night you may have noticed some... pain."

Snape guffawed, "I may have" he said dryly.

"That was me, urm... stealing a dark mark." Harry said. "It was my intention to remove it... It didn't work,. Instead I changed it, bound it to me. I'll do that for you if you want. I would imagine that out of the two of us, you would rather be ... bound to me in such a fashion. After all I doubt I'll be calling many meetings" Harry said with a smirk.

Snape nodded, "You can really do that?" he asked.

Harry nodded, "I can. Not tonight probably. It takes it out of me a bit and frankly I'm going to need everything I've got this evening." he said with a bitter smile on his face.

"Anything I can help with?" Snape asked.

Harry shook his head, "Unfortunately not Professor"

"I think, considering I'll be bound to you..." Snape smiled, "You can call me Severus" he said.

Harry smiled in return, "You'd better let the Headmaster know what we intend and I'll do it tomorrow night. Which has the nice side effect of further annoying and probably hurting snake lips." Harry said, stopping casting. Then he walked from one end of the 'bowling hall' to the other. Bouncing the ball towards the end of each alley, the ball bounced off of some unseen shielding, but duplicated at the same time. Sending the duplicate to the end of the Alley, each alley then grew a wall around it. Protecting it from the surrounding alleys, and vice versa.

He caught Severus's curious look. Harry smiled, "Testing Power Levels." he said. Indicating the nearest lane he said, "The 'marks' appear on the screen thingy. An average calculated as they go. I'll make them cast for at least half and hour. Which will have the side effect of ... well we call it endurance training in the Muggle world. I intend to do this every end of lesson. With the first half changing often to stop them getting board."

"Interesting"

"I have a couple of ideas for games too. But I need to make the equipment first. Stuff to improve reactions, spell casting speed and some just for more endurance training. Hand and eye co-ordination will be helped too. With any luck the games will be fun" Harry noted wryly. Then shrugged, "I think they will at least"

"So, shall we have a ... tickle?" Severus said with a slight smile. He had no real need to test himself against Harry, but he did want to see what Harry could do.

Harry grinned, "Yeah why not" he said with a chuckle.

They lined up in adjacent rows. "Ready?" Snape called out.

"Let's rock" Harry said.

"What do we cast?" Snape suddenly asked.

"Stunner's will do it. Just pour as much magic in as you can." Harry said, lifting his wand and taking aim. "You can call the ball forward or send it back. Depending on your best aiming distance, I Just use the arrow keys on the screen thingy."

"You'll have to come up with a better name than Screen Thingy" Snape told him and moved the ball to his best range.

Harry laughed, "Yeah, suppose I should really" he noted. "OK, rock and roll" he said and began casting.

Snape did the same.

-oOo-

"Oh, shit!"

Harry poked his head around to the next lane in row a curious expression on his face. He and the professor had been casting fairly constantly for the last twenty minutes.

Snape turned to Harry, sucking his finger holding up his wand which was smoking slightly. Which caused Harry to laugh. "Oh" he said, "Hadn't thought of that" he noted wryly.

"I would never have guessed Harry" Snape said dryly, "I take it your own wand is not... smoking?"

Harry shook his head and held up his gently glowing wand, "Not smoking no" he said ironically.

"This is a problem" Snape noted.

Harry nodded. Then looked thoughtful, before smiling

"You have Eureka face." Snape noted with some humour.

Harry chuckled, then cast a cooling charm on his wand.

Snape got the same look and did the same thing. Both wands stopped glowing fairly quickly and Snape's stopped smoking almost straight away. "Right... off we go again" Snape said and began to cast once more. Now happy that his wand was not about to explode in his face.

Harry smirked, his eyes flicking over the potions professors scoring. With an impressed nod he went back to his own lane and wiped his own scores. Then began to cast again

-oOo-

Hermione walked into the rear room, puzzled. Harry and Professor Snape weren't back yet and they had over run their time limit by about 5 minutes so far. So as next 'senior' member of the DA she had been nominated to find out what was going on. There was some worry that they had killed each other. But Hermione had noticed that Professor Snape and Harry had been getting on much better of late. Still, it was of a small concern. She slid into the room undetected and listened to the snap hiss of spells being fired off almost constantly.

She walked further into the room to see what looked a lot like a bowling alley with a long line of lanes, she noticed that the missing professor and assistant professor were sharing a lane. Firing off spells in turn, she further noticed they were actually laughing in a companionable fashion. Which was more than a little surprising.

"Nice shot, see if you can make it spin upwards." Harry said, his voice filled with humour.

"You're so bloody clever you try it" came Professor Snape's equally mirth filled tones.

A pause a spell being fired and then, "Oh you big show off" Professor Snape said dryly. Followed by Harry laughing

"Urm.." Hermione said, drawing both of their attentions, "What's going on?" she asked with a slight smile.

"The professor and I were just making up a bit of a game" Harry said. Then nodded to the bouncing ball at the end of the lane, "the idea at the moment is to make the thing dance." he said. Firing of a spell that made it bounces even higher. Then he followed up with a shot that made it bounce to the end of the lane and back up again.

"Ohh, that's got to be worth a Butter beer" Harry noted wryly.

"Pfft," Professor Snape said, then managed to make the ball spin, and shoot off down the aisle like a rocket.

"Ohh, nice one." Harry noted.

"Half and hour is up" Hermione pointed out.

"Oh!" Harry said in surprise. Hermione noted that Snape too looked a little shocked at that. "Go get them for me 'Mione" Harry said. He turned to Severus after Hermione had gone to do his bidding. "I owe you a Firewhisky that last trick blew mine out of the water."

Snape smirked and blew on the end of his wand. Making Harry laugh again.

Then the class filed into the room, standing in a clump nearby to Harry. "Right, cast a cooling charm on your wands people." Harry said. "If you can't self cast, work with a partner." he added.

The class did as they were asked. "We've found it necessary" Harry said. Walking to his aisle he zeroed his scores. Then walked back and stored the Professors. Using the professor as a baseline, he would have to get the Headmaster in for a more powerful comparison. There was little point using his own scores as a baseline, with no false modesty he knew it would be setting the bar a little high. "This is kind of a game and a little endurance training. You've cooled your wands because they will be getting hot. Even with the charms, don't touch the end." he said tossing the potions Professor a look filled with gently mocking mirth.

"Pick an aisle." Harry said, waiting for his class to do as requested. Then he magnified his voice. Since the line of lanes was quite long. "All you have to do is cast Stunner's. Put as much power as you can into each cast. You'll notice the ... monitor... in front of you. It records the power of each spell. Also it creates and average score based on each individual score and the amount of shots." he said, clarifying the point for the pure bloods who may not actually know how to find a mean value. He hoped they did, but had no idea of the schooling a Pure Blood got before school.

"When I say Go, you start. When I shout stop, you stop. It's that easy. Okay... Go"

The room filled with voices and the sound of spells being fired off. He and the Professor then walked up and down the line, correcting stances, technique and watching the scores.

-oOo-

Cissy smiled at her sister. Something drastic had happened to the so called Insane Black. A lightness in the woman's heart that was as pleasant as it was a shock. This was the Bella of old only older in age. She had that wicked sense of humour and sparkling eyes she had back in her school days tempered with a little darkness in her soul.

Either way, it was a welcome change. Something had happened when Harry had stolen the Dark Mark, according to Bella. She didn't know what exactly, and had tired unsuccessfully to explain it to her sister Cissy. It wasn't easy to explain though. Other than the over simplified 'It flushed out the darkness'. Which was accurate and at the same time, didn't give it justice.

They were sat in Bella's 'quarters' in Black Castle. In other words the sectioned off room that Harry had made the day before. They had been talking for some time. Soon after Harry had left the evening before Bella had woken up and had been in surprisingly high spirits. Cissy had then been the one to give her the news about her now ex-husband. Ex as in dead, but Bella had been almost overjoyed to realise the bastard was really gone. Cissy had then used her rudimentary knowledge of healing spells to finish the job that Harry had started, setting Bella's ribs back in place and helping her sister to tidy herself up. She had then told her the particulars of what Harry had done for her. Well, more for Cissy than Bella, but she benefited as well.

Bella had been... wary about Harry. She seemed grateful but at the same time she didn't know what to make of Harry helping her like that. It pretty much ran contrary to everything she had learnt under Voldemort's rule. A Death Eater was essentially a loner, working together only when they had to and not expecting support from anyone. Even when they were forced to work together. Which was all the better to control them with of course, making sure they didn't bunch up and create a power play that would topple Voldemort from his position as head. So she couldn't quite grasp that Harry had helped her, or why.

Cissy thought that was very, very sad really. She only hoped that her sister would learn what it was to be a real member of a 'family' once more. When Bella had been younger she and Cissy had been very tight. Even back then Andy had her own views and had been closer to Sirius than any one else. Perhaps a little closer than she should've been in point of fact. But Andy had then gone off and Married Ted Tonks, which begot Nymphadora of course. So Andy was happy with her world. Where as Cissy and Bella had not been. Talk about following the wrong path in life.

Fleur and Bella got on surprisingly well since Bella had a serious racist streak in her. Or had that been Rudolphus that had been the racist. The Marriage contract then forcing Bella to be the same. It was a terrible piece of magic, akin to slavery but wrapped up in the form of a marriage. Cissy despised the damn things, and was only happy she was lucky enough not to be caught under one. If she had of been then divorcing Lucius would never have come to pass that was for sure. By the same token she would not have been in a position to protect her sister from Harry's more draconian streak. The cold hard reptile part of Harry that would've slaughtered Bella as soon as look at her. Cissy hoped that Harry would come to see this new Bella as a separate person. Though she had doubts that he would be able to. But then hope was not the most logical thing in the world, nor were interpersonal relationships.

"You've gone thoughtful" Bella noted with a slight smile.

"Harry is due soon" Cissy said.

Bella nodded, turning thoughtful herself.

"How do you feel about this?" Cissy asked eventually.

Bella smiled thinly. "I really have only two choices at this point" Bella noted, "I can go back to what I was, assuming Harry won't kill me where I stand for saying it. Or I can do this and perhaps become what I once was. Proud."

Cissy nodded, "He's a good man" she said simply.

Bella looked at her shrewdly, "You're in love with him" she pointed out.

Cissy smiled, "He's half my age, or near enough that it doesn't matter."

"That's neither a denial, or an acceptance." Bella pointed out.

"No... I suppose it isn't" Cissy said with a half smile.

"He is... impressive now" Bella said slowly. "Handsome too. Better looking by far than his father, must be his mothers line mixing in."

"Is it always about lines?" Cissy asked.

"It's just the way I see it." Bella replied. "I've grown older with nothing but purity of lines to keep me warm at night. It's a ... shock, to find they really aren't as important as I thought. If they were then Harry would now be dead and LeStrange would still hold sway over me, wouldn't he?"

Cissy had to agree with that, "I see your point."

"In some ways, Potter is a sign of the times. The change the Wizarding world seems to need. This is the exact opposite of the change I thought it needed. That is a somewhat humbling realisation." Bella admitted a little grudgingly, "I'm not saying we're not better. Because I still think Pure Bloods have a few advantages when it comes to magic. But... our culture, our way of life. Is perhaps stagnant. It needs people like Potter I think. Which I find..."

"Amazing?"

"Disturbing" Bella corrected. "That I've lived my life in the pursuit of a single goal, a goal I now realise is wrong. That disturbs me greatly. If not for you. Because I KNOW it was you that got Potter to come for me... I would die for my previous goals and previous master. Now... Perhaps, I will live to become something else. What that is I do not yet know. Other than lonely."

Cissy looked at her sister seriously, "Lonely?" she asked.

"You think Potter will lay hand on me when this... ritual is complete? I don't think so. The contract is worded in such a way that I cannot have extra... contractual affairs. Otherwise I would've taken a lover long ago. I will most assuredly be lonely."

Cissy wrapped an arm around her sister, "Give him time. He will surprise you. He surprises me continuously."

"That definitely sounds like Love" Bella pointed out.

Cissy smiled, "He's like that. You may ... come to that realisation yourself in time."

"I hope not. As I said, he won't touch me after this night." Bella said with a sigh, "It's been so long." she added, "No one since my wedding night."

Cissy looked a little surprised at that causing Bella to laugh.

"You think LeStrange wanted anything other than a token wife and an occasional punch bag?"

Cissy growled, "I'm glad the fucker is dead"

"As am I. Which means I owe you, and Potter a debt"

"You're my sister, you owe me no debt. But..."

Bella looked at her curiously, "What?"

"Try calling him Harry." she said.

Bella stiffened and looked up, "He's here" she said. Suddenly looking scared, "Is he gentle?" she asked in a tone unheard from her in years. A scared tone.

"He's a consummate lover. Just ask Fleur." Cissy said, rubbing her sisters back, "He won't hurt you."

"You haven't..." Bella asked, trailing off her question clear.

"Not yet. But I will, soon I hope." Cissy said with a wicked grin.

"Is he... big?" Bella asked with a hint of her own humour.

"He's certainly a mouthful" Cissy commented. "Now go, prepare. I will see about relaxing him."

Bella smirked.

"Not like that." Cissy said with a laugh.

-oOo-

Harry skated into the Grand Hall, his coat tails flaring behind him with the speed of his travel. He was thinking he wouldn't be walking around so much from now on. This was almost as much fun as flying in point of fact. Dean had given him a few pointers and his natural grace helped a fair bit. In truth he had seen Skateboards around, but never been on one before earlier that day. Dudley had one once, but the young Dudley was not what one could call graceful. But Harry had been fascinated by them ever since.

He kicked back on the board, coming to a half in front of a curious Cissy. He flashed her a smile, "Hello my darling" he said.

"You seem in high spirits" she noted.

"Had a fun day" Harry commented. "Someone, can't think who, did rather a good prank this morning. Started the day the right way" he said with an impish smile. "Then later on I made this beauty. It's a hell of a lot of fun. Wanna ride?" he asked.

Cissy laughed, but shook her head, "I like my feet on the ground generally speaking. Unless they are in the air next to your neck of course." she said with a wicked smile.

Harry chuckled, his mood taking a rapid downwards shift when the looked at the door to Bellatrix's quarters.

"She's waiting for you" Cissy said, noting his mood and direction of his gaze.

Harry took a deep breath, "Any chance I skip that Black sister and go straight on to the one I want?" he asked with a half smile and a wink at her.

Cissy pouted, "No" she said simply. "But... You'll be pleased to know I'm not the jealous type and look forward to taking you up on that comment."

Harry snorted a light laugh. Then squared his shoulders. Setting his stance a little aggressively for Cissy's liking. "Harry!" she stopped him just as he was about to take a step forward. He looked at her curiously. "Be gentle with her. LeStrange was an abusive bastard."

Harry frowned, his stance relaxing. "I was set a bit aggressive wasn't I?" he asked with a self directed frown. "This is... difficult." he said.

"She may surprise you Harry. She's changed. The contract shift and what ever you did to her mark... It's changed her a bit, made her more into the way she was." Cissy told him. Then tip toed and kissed him chastely, "For me... Give her a chance."

Harry nodded, though he was thinking he had done quite a lot for Cissy of late. He couldn't refuse her though. She had wormed her way into his heart, not that he'd admit it to anyone though.

He then, in a more relaxed stance, walked into Bella's quarters.

Fleur appeared almost as soon as he had. Causing Cissy to turn to her in surprise.

"I just got away" Fleur said. "I wanted to... support 'Arry."

"He's just gone in." Cissy said.

"Then I will Support you" Fleur said and conjured two chairs for them. She held up a small button looking device. Her smile was somewhat wicked.

"What's that?" Cissy asked.

Fleur put a finger to her mouth, disillusioned the odd little thing and waved her wand where it had been. It flew over the wall and landed in the centre of the room, invisible and virtually undetectable.

Cissy looked at her curiously. Fleur smirked and flicked her wand at the wall. A wide-screen TV like monitor appeared showing the inside of the room.

"Sneaky" Cissy noted. Also noted that Harry was standing silently by the door. Bella was behind a screen out of sight.

"We will keep an eye on them non?"

"Oui, and get our jollies at the same time?"

Fleur smirked in reply and they both settled back to watch.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Chapter Notes:

AN: Any of you that were expecting Angst!Harry, or Angry!Harry killing Bellatrix... I feel it is only fair to warn you.  
THIS IS THE WRONG STORY FOR THAT :D

Chapter Fifteen

Harry looked around the small room with a bit of confusion, "Urh..." he said, and then cleared his throat. "Bellatrix?"

"I'm here" came her voice from behind a vanity screen.

Harry was about to say something else when something caught his attention. He tracked the movement of the tiny and supposedly invisible thing. His hands adjusted his glasses, sliding down an arm and activating full invisibility viewing.

"Potter?" Bellatrix called out.

"Yeah, bear with me" Harry said, a slight smile on his face. With speed born of catching many a snitch his arm shot out like lightning and grabbed the tiny device.

-oOo-

"AWWW" Cissy almost yelled.

"Poot" Fleur said pouting.

-oOo-

"Just had to deal with something. Are you coming out?" Harry asked.

"I'm not entirely sure" Bellatrix replied, her voice holding a note of humour, which surprised Harry a little. But he remembered well Cissy's words.

"Why is that? I was hoping to talk to you" Harry said his tone serious, but fairly light still.

Bellatrix then walked out from behind the divider. The way she looked caused Harry a moment of surprise. She had done her hair, applied make up and was wearing a long silk gown in a dressing gown style. It covered her from mid calf to almost her neck. Only showing that her legs were bare, and she was wearing a surprisingly high pair of heels. Heels were not widely used by witches in the wizarding world Harry had noted, with some disappointment. Some did, Cissy for one, others like oddly enough Rita Skeeter did. He hadn't expected Bellatrix to make an effort though, and since she was looking rather attractive at that moment it was obvious she had. A part of him had always registered the fact she was a beautiful woman. It was just usually somewhat covered by the fact she wasn't dressed in an attractive way. She didn't normally seem to bother with makeup and her hair was best described as a nest. At that moment, it was in a wispy kind of bun, piled on top of her head. Her lips moist and red, her eyes make to stand out a bit with her eye shadow.

It was a bit of a shock.

She smiled slightly, which further shocked Harry. "You look surprised." she noted, coming round to sit on the bed in front of him. One leg crossed over the other and flashing a little more leg. He had to admit... she had a nice set of stems. More shocks, he wasn't sure he could take many more.

"I urh... Look, this is a little too much like rape for my liking. So I have to give you the option of saying No." Harry said, running a hand through his hair.

Bellatrix blinked her shock at him. Cissy's words springing to her mind.

"So if you don't want to do this... I may be able to find another way to help you, to keep you free from the contract. Or, if you wanted, I could Obliviate these last few days from your mind. Then put you in Fuck Faces path. Without knowing what's been done, or where you were. You could continue as you were I suppose. Or like I said, I'll find another way."

"Fuck Face?" she asked, fearing she knew the answer to that one.

"Voldemort." Harry replied.

Bellatrix found herself looking around, half expecting the Dark Lord to show up.

Harry smirked at that. He didn't say anything, waiting for her to answer him.

"I wasn't expecting that" she admitted. She eyed his clenched hand with a little worry.

Harry noticed her gaze. "This is holding something, not to hurt you. We picked up a couple of spies" he said with a wry smile.

Bellatrix smirked. "I think, all things considered... I'd like to have sex thanks"

Harry blinked, 'oh look; more shock' he thought with some mirth.

"Urh... I wasn't expecting that." Harry admitted.

"It seems to be the night for it. I have an offer for you as well." Bellatrix said, "Or options if you like."

Harry looked at her curiously. "Go on." he prompted.

"I can... well use my mouth. Bring you close. You stick it in, flail at me till you conclude and it's done."

Harry smirked slightly, "Wow; that sounds like a lot of fun" he said voice thick with irony.

"Pretty much my thoughts. Or, well, this is likely to be the last time I have sex in my entire life. I would prefer to enjoy it; to have something to keep me warm at nights in memory. So, I suggest we do this... properly. I realise you owe me nothing and probably just want to get it over with. So, if you do this... properly... I have something for you in return." she said and reached into the pocket of her gown. She then held up a sheet of parchment. "This is the only piece of information I actually have. As a sign of good faith, I give it to you now" she said handing it over.

Harry took it and glanced at it. There was an address. "What's this?"

"The location of a Death Eater Training Facility." she said.

Harry nodded, "Thank you." he laughed, "I wasn't expecting that... Or any of this I have to admit."

She smiled slightly, "I want to actually have sex. Not just fulfil a contract. If you so wish, I will do that. But since I have given you that, I'm hoping I've shown you willing."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, urm... this is bloody awkward isn't it" he said with a half smile.

"A little" she admitted a slight smile gracing her face.

He looked at her for a long moment, causing her to shift a little uncomfortably. His eyes drifted down her form. He had to admit, she was hot. He just had to forget, he could do that. He bundled up all the negative thoughts, shutting them in a room in his mental construct. Locking and warding the mental door and sealing it with every ounce of will power he had. He nodded, and then smiled charmingly. "You know... You've actually very beautiful"

Bellatrix blinked then smiled sexily, "You know... You're actually very sexy... I mean Handsome." she blushed slightly as Harry laughed.

She stood up and walked to him half expecting a slap or for him to flinch away. He didn't, for which she was grateful. "Cissy tells me you're gentle?" she asked, in the form of a statement.

"I can be" he said, his voice becoming a bit of a purr. This close up, she was causing his libido to shout louder than the muffled denials from behind his mental doorway. He was glad of that.

She licked her lips, smiling slightly. "If I kiss you... will you kiss me back?" she asked.

Kissing was not in his original game plan. But this was so far off of his original plan it was funny. "I might" he said with a slight smile.

"Life is risk" she muttered then moved in and kissed him.

-oOo-

"I can't believe he saw it" Cissy said with a frown. "He's full of tricks isn't he?"

"Oui. I am more surprised he 'as not chucked it out yet." Fleur noted wryly. "Look, it iz in his hand I think."

Cissy nodded, looking at the image on the wall, which had suddenly changed. The view was dizzying for a moment.

Then, "OH MY FUCKING GOD!" was heard clearly in Harry's voice.

The view swam a bit more as the bug stabilised. It showed Harry flat on his back, Bella's head on his lap. A closer inspection showed that Harry was gripping the bed clothes like crazy. Bella's head was actually pushed down on him. A gagging noise and she started to raise her head.

"Merde sainte!" Fleur breathed.

Cissy chuckled, "Go Bella" she said. She watched her sister revealing more and more of Harry's rock hard shaft as she rose up him. Then she pushed back down again.

"She has him deep" Fleur noted.

"FUCK ME" Harry yelled, his eyes rolling around in his head.

-oOo-

He could take much more of this, dear sweet god in heaven he couldn't. "FUCK" he yelped as her lips worked around his cock, her tongue doing things to the back of his shaft he was fairly sure should be illegal. Then she sucked hard and lifted up, coming off of the end of his cock with a loud wet pop.

She smiled up at him. Her eyes wicked, in a way he LIKED.

"Holy crap" Harry breathed.

Her smile became sultry and she licked his crown and began to slurp back down his shaft again.

Harry blinked and held onto the bed clothes as if his life depended on it.

-oOo-

"MERLIN ON A BIKE THAT'S GOOD"

Fleur turned to Cissy, "Your Sister, she is talented, non?"

Cissy laughed, she half wished she was the one doing that to Harry. But in a way, it was good Bella was managing to drive Harry wild. It meant the two may find a way to coexist, even if it was a purely sexual relationship. "She had a bit of a reputation at school for... that" she said with a nod to their 'TV'.

"I must get tips" Fleur said, sitting back and crossing one leg over the other, "Zis is better than the Porn show"

-oOo-

"Oh god, no no no, not again. Bell let up please!" Harry panted, not realising he had just used a virtual endearment.

Bellatrix did though, which caused her some shock. But then she had felt that several times so far. Not the least of which was when she had hooked him out of his underwear. "Sweet Morgana" she said eyeing his cock hungrily, "I'm going to enjoy this" she said.

Harry smiled slightly, his mind swimming still and not entirely clear. He was just glad he'd gotten her to let up. He was dangerously close before.

He'd experienced a few blow jobs now. Fleur had been... amazing. Cissy was artful, and the combined feeling was incredible. Lav had been inexperienced but nice. Cho had been comical almost and Tracey had been hot and wet and sensual. What Bell had just done to him had been the single most intense feeling in his entire life. He was still shivering from it. During the course of her assault with intent to make orgasm he had a bit of a revelation as well. An important... sectioning had happened in his mind. Bellatrix LeStrange was a monster, the evil witch that had killed and tortured. Bellatrix Black was a victim, as much as Bellatrix LeStranges victims had been. Bell though was a wild cat and probably the best head he'd had or was likely to have.

Bell liked his cock upwards and licked him from end to tip with the flat of her tongue rubbing him around her face. Her throat was emitting almost a purr and she was away with it. The feel of his silky hard manhood on her face was divine to her. If this was to be the last time she had sex. She was GLAD it was with him. How strange was that? He had been her enemy and now she was his, utterly his. She hummed her way to putting the crown of his cock in her mouth and sucked as hard as she could, her cheeks going conclave.

"Oh fuck" Harry breathed, or meant to it actually sounded more like, "OH FKKCUUCOCO"

Bell laughed, and since he was still in her mouth it sent even more sensation up into his body. Harry felt like smacking himself in the side of the head. To hopefully make his eyes actually uncross and face forward. "Too much" he breathed.

Bell didn't care. Her hand beginning to work up and down his length and she sucked with all her might. Then her head began to bob up and down in time with her hand, which twisted slightly.

Harry's knuckles turned white as he held the sheet as hard as he could. The bug had long since been forgotten by that point. Frankly, his eyesight was starting to tunnel more than a little. Realising he had to stop her, but not really wanting to, he grabbed her head and pulled upwards. "Whoa" he said. Breathing hard, he sat up, forcing Bell back onto her haunches. Going on Automatic he was kissing her with passion. Now totally in the moment, all reservations had pretty much left him. Later he would come to realise how sad it was. A blow job could pretty much make a bloke forget anything, even who it was he was about to shag, but at this point he had already put her into boxes in his head. He was about to shag Bell, and by god he was going to make her pay. Of course, she would likely enjoy her punishment.

He mentally shrugged. Frankly he no longer gave a fuck.

Bell reached up and her arms curled around him neck. Then he lifted her up, standing as he did so. Swapping positions in such a way that she ended up standing on the bed. They finally broke the kiss and looked at each other. Both feeling intense lust and only thinking of the upcoming sex they were going to have.

"Off" Bell ordered. Her meaning was clear as she was pushing off his coat as she said it.

A flurry, a few seconds, and Harry had his clothes off. His was mouth aiming for and hitting her neck, where he laid kisses down the slender arc of it. Bell mewed in pleasure. Her hands moving down to her belt she undid her gown. Letting the belt fall away and the sides of it come free.

Harry stopped kissing her neck, working his way downwards. Trailing hot kisses down the naked skin he found. More and more of her was revealed to his hungry mouth and eyes. Eventually his head moved around and he sucked a hard brown nipple in to his mouth.

Bell cupped the back of his head, a sexy smile on her face and eyes closing in pleasure. She let out a gasp as his tongue toyed with her nipple, his mouth sucking teeth scrapping just enough to send a thrill straight to her core.

He let her pop out of his mouth and used his hands to push the gown off of her shoulders. Then backed away and took her in. She was slender, with enough curves to make her erotic. Modestly sized breasts tipped with hard brown nipples. He cupped one, running his hand around the swell of her breast. She sighed and leaned into his grip. He caught a nipple between his thumb and forefinger and tweaked it. The sensation made her gasp in pleasure.

Bell looked into his emerald eyes, seeing the rampant lust in their depths. The sight caused her to smile. "I'm going to fuck you" she said, her voice rough with desire.

"No" Harry said. Causing her a moment of panic, "I'm going to fuck you" he continued.

"God you just made me wet" she said leaning down she kissed him hotly, and then gasped in surprise.

Harry pulled his hand from between her legs and pulled back, his eyes shining with dark, lustful humour. "So I did" he commented, his voice a silky purr.

Bell actually gulped. Then moved forward, wrapping her legs around him she twisted. Sending Harry back first on to the bed. She landed astride his chest, with her moist sex rubbing on his pectorals. With a sultry grin she leaned backwards. She thrust her breasts upwards for his viewing pleasure as she grasped his shaft and worked him with her hand. Her eyes filled with carnal promise she looked down at him. One lip caught between white teeth as she moved her hand up and down his length, holding him tightly.

Harry growled low in his throat at the sight of her. She was pretty much a dream, a warm, wet one. He reached up, touching and toying with her breasts as she just continued to slowly and teasingly rub his manhood. Then she stopped, moving from his grip and letting go of his cock.

She lifted herself a bit, rubbing her pussy against the crown of his cock. Then eyes locked to his she slowly pushed him inside of her. Her outer lips parted, and then sank him into her hot, moist sex.

"Ohhhhgoood" Harry drawled, "Tight, hot... goooodd" he growled out in a sexually charged tone.

Bell's eyes were unfocused, just feeling him sliding into her, centimetre by centimetre, every vein and bump, every tiny part of him pushing into her. "It's been too long" she noted, her voice rough. Then finally, she sank all the way down, meeting his body again. "Far too long"

Harry's hands found her hips. Their eyes met for a beat or two of time. Then they began to move against each other.

-oOo-

Cissy couldn't breathe, and glancing over she noticed Fleur was having trouble. "Is it me or are they..."

"Good." Fleur noted with a nod.

"Hot more like" Cissy said, then blushed, "Oh god that's my sister I just said that about." she noted before laughing.

Fleur joined her, but neither of them took their eyes off of the union before them. Fleur made the bug move around a bit so it was side on to the 'couple' on the bed. Bella's thighs were tensing and untensing as she moved Harry inside of her. Harry's hands left a mark from where he was helping Bella to move on his shaft. They were still looking at each other. Frankly, it was obvious that neither remembered by that point who the other really was. Cissy kind of hoped they never did. Oh dear Merlin she wanted some of what Harry had. From the look on her sister's face it was to be enjoyed.

"Il est magnifique!" Fleur said, breathlessly.

Cissy could only nod her agreement.

-oOo-

Bell sped up slightly. Her eyes closing as she just swam in the sensations flowing around her body. "So good" she breathed, her breasts starting to bounce with her movements.

Harry's head fell back on the bed for a moment. He too was 'In the Moment' now.

Bells hips began to rock with more focus, making sure Harry hit 'that spot' with every thrust. It had been a long time since she had experienced sex, and possibly it was just a bad memory, but this was somewhat better than she remembered. Her breathing quickened. Her mouth fell open, her chest flushed. Blood flew around her system and muscles flowing as she rode atop of Harry.

"Oh god" Harry breathed, she was making it so full of sensation with every thrust he was losing control. He was not yet, that, experienced with sex. So he was hoping he was going to last. He wanted her to come. He needed her to.

Bella began to make small noises with every thrust. Small cries and expirations of pleasure that built in volume the more she thrust against him. Her head tipped back and she cried out to the roof, her body arched. Her pelvis rocked, her body thrummed with the beginnings of an orgasm. An orgasm she was sure would make her black out. It started low, building exponentially. A tingle at first, building to an ache, one she needed to release. The rocked harder, and faster, pushing him deep into her core. Clenching with every muscle she could, holding him in a velveteen grip.

Harry's entire world was the feelings he was experiencing, that and the desire not to lose control. He held on with all his might. But the longer they continued, the closer he got. No amount of will power was helping. The erotic noises coming from Bell weren't helping either. He felt her change position. Her hands gripped his chest. A hard, almost painful grip as she braced herself. Her movements became less practised, more desperate and instinctual. Faster and faster, hard and harder. Her nails dug into him, but the pain just made it even harder to hold on.

"Come, come, come" she began to chant, her voice low almost a whisper. One that grew in volume, "Come, Come, Come" she panted, "I'm going to, come for me" she said, sounding almost lucid. Harry opened his eyes, locking with hers. Another, hard thrust and the world exploded for them both.

Neither was sure when it happened, but they came back to themselves to realise they were virtually yelling. Both were blown over with the intensity of a joint orgasm. Bell fluttered around his cock, spasms of her vaginal muscles milking him for all he was worth. His face was a grimace of almost pain, mostly pleasure. Both were tensed for a long moment, and then...melted.

Bell fell forward onto his chest.

They breathed hard, neither saying anything for a long moment. Then Bell laughed. This was not something Harry was sure he was happy about hearing at that moment. Then she said, "Oh my fucking sweet Morgan that was good. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you." she panted.

Harry didn't actually trust his voice. Instead he wrapped his arms around her and just held her quivering form.

They lay like that for a long time. Then Bell chuckled again. "What?" Harry asked, his tone humorous as well.

"You're getting hard." she pointed out.

"I have a beautiful woman on top of me... Well... I'm a teenager and you're hot. It's a simple equation" he said with a wry tone.

Bell pushed back, holding herself on her elbows so she could look into his eyes. Her smile was sultry as she asked, "Again?"

Harry paused. By rights he had done what was required of him. But... "Oh hell yeah"

-oOo-

Bell staggered out of the room that morning, her hair was a mess. Her makeup, what was left of it was smeared across her face. But there was also a smile that would have to be nuked off of her face.

She took one look at Fleur and Cissy and burst into laughter. That in turn woke the two blond beauties up.

They looked at each Bell, and then looked at each other. Seeing what she was laughing at they both exploded into laughter. They paused, pointing at each other.

Over each of their heads was a sign that read, "Voyeur..." which flashed to "Perverted" so at any one time read from one to the other it said, "Perverted Voyeur."

Bell lost her footing, limping along on one heel, which had remarkable managed to stay on her foot. She fell flat on her arse as she laughed herself silly.

Fleur growled playfully, "I will get 'im for zis" she noted.

Cissy calmed her laughter and looked at Bella, "How are you sister dear?" she asked her tone amused.

"Truthfully?" Bell asked semi serious.

"Of course" Cissy replied, now serious too.

Bell grinned, "Shagged... Well and truly Shagged senseless." she replied. That set Fleur off again with Cissy following shortly after her.

-oOo-

Harry walked into the Great Hall in a bit of a daze. He had just spent the entire night having sex, which was fantastic. It was also fantastic sex. But...

It was the 'but' that was leaving him a little weirded out. He looked at the breakfast table where his House sat. Ron glared at him, Ginny blushed and Hermione avoided his gaze. They didn't know. Didn't know what he had done. Dear god had done and bloody enjoyed it too. There was Neville smiling at him and Harry felt a pang. He had convinced himself that he had sex with Bell, the person Bellatrix LeStrange was before the marriage, before she became a monster and murderer. But looking at Nev smiling with his friends reminded Harry that Bellatrix LeStrange had tortured Nev's parents in to actually insanity. They were comatose in St Mungo's curse ward.

Dear god but it had been good.

He couldn't get that out of his head. She was amazing. Willing and able in ways that frankly Harry had no idea a woman could be. He stood still looking at his house table, finding himself unwilling or just plain unable to join them. Last night he had done something that they wouldn't understand, or forgive. They wouldn't see that Bell was different, that she wasn't Bellatrix LeStrange. How could he make them understand that?

Hermione was looking at him now. Ron had stopped glaring and looked concerned. Even Ginny had quit blushing. It must show on his face; the guilt, the feeling of dread. Dear god he had to cover his tracks somehow. He was panicking. He never panicked. What the hell was he doing? He was just standing rooted in place. It would be more than obvious he had done something wrong.

Was it wrong? Was it really wrong? Part of him screamed YES. Another part, a newer part, shouted HELL NO.

Hermione was standing. Her face was a picture of concern.

'Dear God, don't let her get to me before I cover this in my head.' Harry thought to himself.

God he couldn't get it out of his head. Her skin, her eyes, her face... God was he ... no, he wouldn't, couldn't go and fall for her. Hell no. But she had turned him upside down. Shocked the ever living shit out of him and blown his socks off in one night. In his heart he knew he'd been with Bell, but they wouldn't understand that. Nev wouldn't care about a difference like that. 'God, how do I make that up to him?' Harry thought. His eyes latching on to his friends now concerned face.

It was no shock they were concerned. Perhaps they would get the wrong end of the stick. He bloody hoped they would. The idea that he would shag Bellatrix probably wouldn't occur to them any time soon. He had that. Why did he feel so damn guilty? He hadn't done wrong, had he?

Yes, he supposed he had really.

But he had done it for a friend, someone he did care about. The only trouble was that he had been shown something he had not been expecting. During the times when they hadn't been having sex, which was rare. He had caught a glimpse of a vivacious and funny woman. That had been... shocking.

Hermione was getting closer and he was drawing some funny looks now. He couldn't handle this, not right now. Magic was beginning to swirl around him, he didn't even notice. Hermione did and her step faltered.

Finally he realised that his magic was trying to work for him, but he couldn't allow it to whisk him off. With force of will he focused and pulled it back under his control. He was still leaking power atrociously, an outward sign of the inner battle. He shook himself, mentally and physically. He had to make this right. Had to try to make them see... or did he?

Before he had a chance to stop it, his magic flared dramatically, an invisible pulse and shock wave blew out of him like an explosion. Not a single hair moved. No one appeared to notice he had just cast an enormous spell. Fuck, he didn't even know what he had just cast. What the fuck was he doing?

He calmed himself. God he felt tired all of a sudden. His legs buckled under him. His eyes rolled into the top of his head. 'Wow that was a lot of magic.' he thought, 'Is it getting dark in here?'

-oOo-

As Harry's friends crowded around his now unconscious form the spell he had unwittingly cast spread. First it tapped into the wells of magic in Hogwarts. Magnifying the spell's power exponentially, the wards of Hogwarts were used like a bell to amplify the speed of the spell. From there it exploded outwards. Rolling across first the UK, it then spread outwards across the world at the speed of light.

As to the function of the spell? Not even Harry knew that... yet.

-oOo-

"Urh... my head." Harry groaned as he woke up. He looked around and let out a sigh. He had hoped to avoid the infirmary for a change. He appeared to be alone. Frankly he had no idea what the time was. But there was at least daylight flooding into the ward. So he hoped it was the same day and he had not been out that long. He sat up, noticing that his clothes had been transfigured into sleep wear. His coat, immune to such things was on a chair next to him.

He slid out of bed and with a thought was dressed casually. Frankly he didn't know if school was in session or not. He then put his ever present coat over the top of everything and peeked out of the curtain.

No one was around, which was good. It was also bad he supposed. He'd need to tell someone he was checking out after all. Shaking his head he walked over to the Matron's office and knocked on the door frame.

The nurse popped her head out of the door and scowled at him, "Mr Potter... What are you doing out of bed?" she asked.

"Checking out, Madam Pomfrey" he said with a charming smile.

"I don't think so..." she began only to be cut off when Harry raised his hand.

"I'm not strictly speaking a student, Madam Pomfrey, so I can check out when I like," he paused, making sure he would get the point across. "I like. As much as I adore your company, I really need to get back to my day. Speaking of which, what day is it and what time is it?" he asked with another charming smile.

She shook her head and tutted at him.

"Madam Pomfrey" Dumbledore said from behind him. Harry twirled around and dropped into a fighting stance as he did. The Headmaster raised an eyebrow but kept on talking, "May not be able to stop you... But I can Harry."

Harry shook his head, "I'm fine; really, I'm fine." he said shortly. "I love Madam Pomfrey, she knows that" he said tossing her a smile, "But I hate it in here."

"If you just let Madam Pomfrey check you out, then I may see my way clear to letting you leave Harry" Albus said with a slight smile.

Harry smirked, then held out his hands, "Go on then" he said.

Madam Pomfrey picked up her wand and began casting over him. Harry noted what she was doing, and tried to use his knowledge to see what spells she was using. He got less than half of them. Shame he couldn't mind dump her, that knowledge may be helpful. Once again, his magic reached out on his will and the next thing he knew he was staggering again, slightly. A wealth of knowledge just sank into his head. This was NOT good. Not good at all. He had to regain a handle on his magic. Before he did something like hurt someone with a stray thought. Luckily the School Nurse appeared to have not even noticed the 'theft'.

It was still more than a little worrying. Useful as it may be, he didn't want to lose control. The possible ramifications of that could be... explosive.

Perhaps that was it. Perhaps this was the power he knew not. Perhaps he was supposed to walk up to Voldemort and just go boom.

Somehow he doubted that.

"Are you well Harry?" Dumbledore asked, steadying the young man.

"I really am. I just had some power fluctuations" Harry said, hedging like mad.

Dumbledore's eyes looked grave, "Perhaps you should stay out of lessons for the day Harry?"

"I think that might be an idea, Headmaster" Harry admitted.

"Well, physically he is fine. His power levels are as impressive as ever. Frankly I see no real need for him to stay here" Madam Pomfrey inserted into the conversation.

"Then I would suggest that you go to your room" Dumbledore said pleasantly.

Harry smirked, "You're sending me to my room?" he said with a chuckle.

Dumbledore laughed as well, "Not quite what I meant. Merely that you should..."

"...stay away from people till I get a handle on the... power fluctuations?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded, "Practising your Occlumancy exercises. The ones you learned originally to clear your mind and focus will help." he said. "During your stage of life it is not unusual to have such fluctuations"

'Not like this' Harry thought, but wisely didn't vocalise.

"I have somewhere ... out of the way." Harry said, "Permission to leave the grounds sir?"

Dumbledore paused a moment before nodding. He had a feeling that Harry was being polite and would do it anyway. "I will inform your friends that you are not to be disturbed for a few days."

"Thank you sir." Harry said turning to leave.

"Harry" the professor called out, "If you see her... Do say hello to Bell for me."

Harry looked like someone had hit him over the head with a nine iron.

-oOo-

Harry arrived on The Isle of Black the other side of the Island from the castle. He would go up there soon enough. Right now he had to figure out what the fuck was going on. Dumbledore had not been trying to trip him up, or threatening him. He had looked like it was a genuine off the cuff comment. Passing on a greeting to someone he liked...

"What the Fuck" Harry vocalised. Since he was in the dense forest that covered most of the island, he doubted that anyone would hear him.

Birds twittered and animals moved around, but other than that it was pretty quiet. That was just as well. Harry went over his memories of what had happened before he blacked out. The sheer power he had channelled was beyond anything he had experienced before. So whatever the spell was it had taken a lot of juice. Whatever it had done, and he had a few ideas, it even affected a master Occlumens. So it wasn't mental magic. But what the bloody hell was it? That was the question of the day... Along with, what the hell was his magic up to?

A mere thought and a spell that powerful had been cast like it was nothing. That was damn right dangerous. Would he AK someone because they annoyed him?

He would like to think he wouldn't. Right at that moment though, he wasn't too sure about it. That was bad. When he had first gotten this power, or extra power, or whatever it was, he had promised himself to remain in control. He wasn't and that scared him a lot.

He dropped down ending up sat Indian fashion on the floor. He closed his eyes, and ignored the world around him. Instead he began to take notice of his breathing. In, out, in, out. Slow, steady, deep and pure breaths.

He allowed the world to slide away from him, entering his mental construct. It was harder than it should've been. He was a little weirded out, and he had to admit scared. Once there though he noticed the old place was looking a little fuzzy.

That wasn't a good sign at all.

With full force of his will he focused it into proper crisp imagery.

Then he began to study.

-oOo-

Hermione looked around the dinner table. She noticed very quickly that her dark haired friend was nowhere to be seen. This worried her on many levels. Was he avoiding her? Was he still ill? Was he avoiding Ron? Was he Avoiding Ginny?

Being intelligent was occasionally a pain in the arse she had to admit.

"Have you seen Harry" she asked her red haired friend, forgetting for a moment that Ron and Harry had fallen out. That in fact, she had fallen out with him.

He turned to her, a slightly puzzled look on his face, but there was also a little worry, "Nope" he replied.

Lavender then attracted his attention and Hermione had lost him again. She rolled her eyes. Lavender was so blood needy it wasn't even funny. It didn't help her with her current predicament though.

She looked around, wondering who she could ask. Ginny was out. Hermione was fairly sure Harry would be avoiding her for some time to come. She looked for worried faces instead. That turned out to be an education.

Ravenclaw, Cho and Luna were both casting glances over and around, obviously looking for someone. That someone just had to be Harry.

Hufflepuff, Susan Bones was looking around too. Less concerned, but since her best friend was sat beside her and also looking around... It had to be Harry she was looking for.

Slytheryn. That was probably the most confusing. Tracey Davis, Daphne Greengrass and most odd of all Pansy Parkinson were looking for Harry as well. It was obvious they were, because they kept looking at the empty chair beside Hermione.

Her own house wasn't quite so much of a surprise. Though Hermione noted a few interesting facts, Lavender, for one. She wasn't being all that subtle about it either. But Ron, bless him, was woefully inexperienced with women. Parv was looking around, Ginny too. Dean as well, but then Harry and he had gotten close of late. Sarah was looking around too, but Hermione suspected it was actually Tonks. Since Sarah had shown NO interest in anything Harry related before now.

Hermione turned her attention to the top table. Zabini and Professor Snape were looking confused until the Headmaster spoke to them. Then they looked worried, which worried Hermione.

The part of her that had placed her in Gryffindor came to the fore then. She got up and strode as confidently as she could towards the headmaster himself, waiting for him to notice her.

"Yes Miss Granger?" he asked pleasantly.

"I was wondering sir, if you know where Harry is?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry my dear. I quite forgot. I was asked to tell you that Harry will be away a couple of days. I am unsure as to his exact location. But I know he is relaxed."

Hermione nodded, thinking it passing strange that the Headmaster would let control of Harry go so. Considering the vested interest they had in him after all. "Is he... well sir?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes... but he is experiencing some minor fluctuations to his power. With one such as Harry that can be... of some concern to those around him. Not Harry himself, but random magic could conceivably hurt those he cares about. So he asked to leave the grounds until he 'has a handle on it' to quote."

'One Such as Harry' stuck in Hermione's mind. But she nodded, and thanked the Headmaster, who gave her permission to leave.

She walked back to her chair in a daze. Wondering what that phrase actually meant. It could mean that Harry was powerful. Everyone knew that he was powerful, but that just didn't seem to fit the phrasing to her. No, she was certain that Professor Dumbledore had not meant that at all.

But what had he meant?

-oOo-

The forest whipped around him in almost a blur. Foliage and other items flashed past at a breakneck speed. He stretched out his legs, moving at a nice clip through the forest. He just revelled in his form. It wasn't often that he used his feline form. His draconian one was the more powerful of the two in a way.

He had sat and thought, and studied and concluded for the entire day. He had come up with a solution, but he wasn't sure how long it would really last. He had put in mental wards. Creating levels of power flow in his magical core. He could release each with a thought allowing more flow of power as needed. It was a bit like a series of taps in his mental landscape. Pnemnomic triggers was the proper name. Since one couldn't really ward oneself. It was a control mechanism though and he needed that. He had also shored up his Occlumancy shielding and gained some control over himself. Oddly enough, it was his draconian nature that had been the key there. The cool calculating and oddly primal force that it contained allowed him to find the extra will power he needed.

He leapt, claws digging into a tree and climbing up quick as a flash. Hitting the closest branch that could support his weight and stopping. He sank down, his tail flicking back and forth as his luminous green eyes surveyed his territory.

Changing to his feline form was part of his new regime. He used his forms and his magic steadily and constantly. In other words burning off some of the excess power he had. Though he wasn't sure he would call it excess. Either way, it helped his 'taps' as well. They were like a muscle; the more he tested them, used them, the better they would be, and the less likely to break under pressure.

The only thing he hadn't yet figured out was this accidental downloading he was doing. Not yet, but he would.

All in all he was actually quite proud he had gotten as far as he had.

All in all this episode had been a wakeup call. He still needed to find out a few things though. The spell he had cast being chief in that.

His tail slowed it's twitching as his eyes began to droop. Strictly speaking his form was nocturnal, but it had been a trying day. His eyes closed, his tail curled up and shortly afterwards a soft rumbling snore was heard.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Harry fell out of his tree as he awoke the next day. A yowl coming from him as his cat reflexes kicked in and he tried to claw his way back onto the branch. Somehow, he managed it. Clambering back on to his perch with a soft growl of laughter. He shook his head, which carried on down his body to his tail and back up again. Not the most pleasant way to wake up but he had slept damn well for a change.

He climbed back down the tree and set off towards the castle. Frankly he wasn't actually sure how far away he was. So he bounded on to a fallen tree and ran up it. Leaping from the end in a graceful jump.

Then he shifted forms. Not something he had tried before that point but it worked well enough. With a beat of his wings he rose into the air, a few more beats and he was high above the forest. He was glad he had changed, it would've taken ages to run.

With a graceful tilt of his wing he angled himself and glided towards Black Castle. It was a flight of mere moments, but it felt good to feel the lift under his wings and the air around his body. He loved to fly in just about any way possible.

He sank down to the floor, dropping the last few feet as he shifted forms again. Landing on all four of his feet and bounding away with un-cat like enthusiasm.

The door posed a minor problem, but he worked the handle with his jaws and was inside of the large castle. His cat eyes making details out that his human eyes couldn't. As well as a sense of the magic that was around him. He padded silently down the hallways, deciding that before he headed back to Hogwarts he would go for a bit of an explore.

He had no wish to face Bell at that moment. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to resist throwing her down. Pretty much the same deal with Cissy and Fleur if she was there. His forms were much more primal about such things. A case of Need = Do. Rather than the more human cogitation over ramifications. Not that he had been giving that much thought the other night.

A quick run and he was past the entrance to the Grand Hall. If Black castle followed a similar plan to Hogwarts he was heading to the Headmasters office. He supposed as the head of his house, and the owner of the castle and island that would be him.

Wary for traps, but not really expecting any it didn't take him long to get to a familiar gargoyle. Though this one was not animated in anyway. He flowed upwards into his Harry form and looked at the possible entranceway. Dumbledore's office was password protected. He had to think this would be similar.

"Open" he hissed.

Then smirked as the gargoyle rotated around and a stair way was shown. The place was scarily similar to Hogwarts. But then, that sort of made sense really. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Hogwarts had worked for over a thousand years, it only made sense one of the original architects of that school would stick to the plan here. Stylistically it was different. Oddly enough it was more... smart.

He walked up the stairs, half expecting to see Professor Dumbledore and his Phoenix. Obviously he didn't. The office was devoid of personal quirks, roughly the same size and shape. Only one portrait dominated the wall.

Harry walked up to it. That just HAD to be Salazar Slytheryn himself. The portrait looked at him as Harry looked at it. It was animated, so Harry had to guess it was 'alive' or at least awake.

"Hello" Harry said in Parselmouth.

The portrait, that of a very sharp faced man, looked surprised. "Welcome" it replied in the same language.

"Salazar Slytheryn I presume?" Harry said, sticking to Parseltongue for now.

"Indeed, and you are?"

"Potter, Harry Potter"

"You are the headmaster... You seem a little young."

"There is no headmaster, sorry." Harry replied.

Salazar frowned, "Damnable waste" he cursed. Which in Parseltongue was fairly impressive sounding. "I've sat here for 990 years waiting for someone to finally take control of the school... Nothing, and now a man that doesn't look old enough to hold a sword comes... Damnable waste."

"Hey" Harry said, "I may not be the Headmaster. I do own the island and this castle."

"My apologies." Salazar said, surprising Harry somewhat. "I have been alone so long I have forgotten how to speak in a civil tone."

"that's okay... I can only imagine." Harry said. "I would like to learn about this place. As I said, I own it now. It will probably never be a school. But a home, to myself and my friends. I'm sorry for that, but that's just the way it is."

"At least it will be used."

"Not all my friends are Purebloods, so I would hope you will remain civil?"

Salazar looked at him steadily, "I have nothing against those not of Pure blood. This school was created for Pure bloods yes. It is my belief that they should be trained properly and differently. Let Hogwarts have the rest. This was to be an Elite academy of learning for the Pure of Blood. That doesn't mean I don't think they need to be trained."

"Wow, well that's pretty much the opposite of what we've been taught about you."

"History is written by the victors. When my portrait activated I had a feeling as to who had slid in the blade..." Salazar said.

Harry conjured a chair absently and sat down, focusing on the portrait. Who, he noted wryly, looked mildly impressed. "By all accounts it was Godric Gryffindor."

"Really. That is of no surprise to me"

"You sound oddly resigned to that." Harry noted.

Salazar shrugged, "He was my friend. He was also very set in his views. He was also better with a sword than I gave him credit for."

Harry snorted a laugh. "God, I think I actually like you" Harry said sounding surprised by that fact.

"Oh dear... I have been painted in a bad light haven't I"

Harry nodded, "Not quite a dark lord... but close."

Salazar frowned, "Well I bloody am not a Dark Lord or close... Bastards... I would've thought my wife would at least have put pay to that."

"Your wife?"

"Rowena"

"Ravenclaw?" Harry said sputtering in shock.

"Is that such a shock."

Harry smirked, "That explains the picture in your quarters then" he noted.

Salazar laughed, it wasn't the chilling sound Harry had half expected. It was gay and full of humor. "You've found that then... You went to Hogwarts?"

"Still do, and yes I did."

"Of course, being a Parselmouth you would be able to gain entry... I wonder what else you found?"

"If you mean the bloody great snake... I didn't find it. I was the one that killed it a couple of years back though."

"You killed HissKiller?"

"I'm sorry what did you call it?"

Salazar actually blushed. "Never mind. But you slew him. What had he done to you, you, you, bastard."

"Whoa, I had no choice. Basic story... The supposed Heir of Slytheryn. Unleashed urm... HissKiller and was hurting people. Had already killed some time before. He then gained total control over... HissKiller... and I couldn't command him to stop. I had no choice."

"He was used... to hurt students?" Salazar said in shock. "But he was there to Protect the students!"

"Wow, you're just debunking legends all over the place aren't you" Harry noted wryly.

"I find it hard to believe that even Godric, dunderhead that he could be, would allow people to believe that of me." Salazar said, slumping into his chair, in the portrait.

"Maybe he didn't. History is Chinese whispers after all, especially that far back."

"Chinese what?"

"Urm... basically, things get changes the further they are removed from the source. A thousand years is a very long time. Stories get changed to fit with current political or social views. Your house is filled with Pure Blood snobs for the most part. People that don't think that Muggle-born of Half Bloods should be allowed an education, or to exist in fact."

Salazar looked sickened by that thought, "I merely said we should teach Pure Bloods separately. Differently. I don't know how it is now, but then... The power differential alone meant that any Pure Blood would outstrip a what was it you said... Muggle-Born within a month of teaching. I take it that Muggle-Born means those born not in the magical world?"

"Yeah... I suppose they had a different name back then." Harry said with a shrug.

"We called them people." Salazar said absently. Then shook his head, "Now I'm GLAD my school never came to pass. Dear Merlin."

"You know... I wonder what Merlin says in situations like that... Dear... Me?"

Salazar blinked at him twice before throwing back his head and laughing himself silly.

"You realise that just speaking Parseltongue is considered dark now. Mostly because of you." Harry said after the portrait had calmed himself.

"What?" Salazar exclaimed, "Dear oh dear. Why? Because people think I am dark that automatically make the talent dark? That's stupid. Why in my day it was considered a gift." he smirked, "Particularity with the ladies."

"urm... Why?" Harry just had to ask.

"Speaking Parseltongue whilst betwixt a wenches thighs brings them great pleasure... if you see what I mean?" Salazar said with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Oh, I'll have to give that a go." Harry said and made a mental note to do just that.

"What I don't understand is that A Parselmouth is a talent. But Parseltongue is a language... It can be learned. Surely no one thinks... French is dark... apart from obvious reasons."

"urm... I didn't actually know you could teach, or learn Parseltongue." Harry admitted.

Salazar rolled his eyes. "Oh for Merlins sake." he said with a sigh, "How many Parselmouth's are there at Hogwarts?"

"I can pretty much name the ones I know of in England... That should give you a clue. Myself, Tracey and Voldemort. Who by the way is your Heir by all accounts. He's the one that opened the Chamber of Secrets Originally, and in a way opened it when I had to kill... Urm... HissKiller."

"I have an Heir still... That's something I suppose" Salazar said. "One would wonder how though... Since I had no issue"

"Urm... okay, brothers sisters? Cousins?"

"Of course."

"That must be it then, but Voldemort is nothing to be proud of. I'm sorry Urm.. Salazar is that alright to call you that?"

"Call me Sal."

Harry smiled, "I'm Harry. But Voldemort is a Dark Lord. I'm sorry."

Salazar rolled his eyes, "That doesn't help matters one would thin. If he is going around saying he is my heir. Rather than a non direct descendant. Oh my, what to do about that one."

"I have to kill him at some point. It's prophesied."

"Bleah... Fuzzy nonsense if you ask me. Helga was always more into that sort of thing than I. Her only saving grace was her imaginative uses of root vegetables"

Harry just sort of blinked at that. He already knew by Slytheryns chambers that he was a bit of a dog. That last sentence pretty much proved it. "You and Helga..." he trailed off

"Yes, so did Godric and Rowena. We spent a lot of time up in Scotland alone. A little variety was needed."

Harry blinked again before cracking a smile. "Why are there no portraits of the founders in Hogwarts. The things we could've found out..." he said laughing then got serious, "Actually, Godric and Rowena... So if she was your wife, then Helga was..."

"Godrics" Sal filled in for him. Then frowned, "I would be interested in finding out why you think there are no portraits of us in Hogwarts... Wait there." he said and promptly disappeared.

Harry frowned, sitting back and crossing one leg over the other. He knew portraits could shift frames if they had more than one. Apparently Sal did. Sal, what a trip. He was calling one of Hogwarts founders by a nickname. Worse, he was finding out they all shagged. His life was... filled with interesting times.

Sal reappeared with a scowl. "The headmasters that followed were bloody idiots. The room where our portraits are is covered in dust. It is obvious that it has not been visited in many a year. Probably at all!"

"Where's the room? I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore and take him there."

"Ah, excellent idea." Sal said, then went on to describe a somewhat chaotic route around Hogwarts leading to a small room in a tower.

Harry frowned and fished in his pocket. Then he brought out his new map and laid it on the floor. "Hang on, that route... doesn't exist" Harry said. He waved his hand over the map which sprung into life.

"That's impressive" Sal said.

"Thanks, it's a redesign of a map my father made." Harry said, tracing where Sal had said to go. From the Headmasters office and all around. He came to a dead end and shook his head, "According to my map there's a dead end there."

Sal got a sudden inspiration, or at least the look on his face said that. "I think I know what's happened" he said. "Your wonderful map. How does it work?"

"It uses the internal warding schema to map out the basic layout. Then the magic from each portrait to stretch around the area. I added the Chamber of Secrets here, see. But other than that it pretty much collected the data by hopping frames and the internal wards."

Sal nodded, "Right, you must be in Ravenclaw?"

Harry shook his head, "No Gryffindor. But if it makes you feel better the hat wanted me in Slytheryn. But I'd met someone that had just been sorted there and frankly the blokes an arse."

"Such a shame... Rowena would've loved you... Alright now let me think." Sal said going silent for a moment.

"You have a ... mode to work with the spells?" Sal asked, scaring the crap out of Harry since he had been silent for so long.

"Yeah, of course" Harry said and waived a hand at the map. It changed, to show floating symbols the runes and Arithmancy formula. Which was the basic building blocks of a spell. Especially the pure Arithmancy.

Sal nodded, "Can you make your map work with the power sapping wards?"

Harry nodded, he pulled out his wand and began to swirl and cast. "Why by the way?"

"Because there is a ... conduit of power, well quite a few actually. One such conduit goes from and too the tower. It was meant as facility housing, Offices and there are a few extra classrooms there as well."

"Right" Harry said, "The map should update shortly... It's working with the wards now..." he said as the map swirled and blurred.

"Really, Rowena will love talking to you." Sal said with a fond smile. The fondness directed at the thought of his wife. "It's a shame I can't get into her portrait. I think it's frozen."

"I'll sort... woah!" Harry said cutting himself off, "Blimey look at that. I thought that was the astronomy tower... It's not. I can't believe I've never counted the towers."

Sal waived it off, "The tower itself is actually hidden from the outside. In case of attack. We didn't want the entire facility to be wiped out with a single dragons breath."

"Dragons Breath?"

"A Common form of battle... Oh... but then if Parselmouth has fallen from favor you don't know.."

"I do, not many do... Dragons speak Parseltongue"

Sal nodded, looking proud of his new student. "Excellent. Well back in my time Dragons were ridden, and their breath makes for a rather effective artillery."

"Hmmm... Interesting."

"You could try it sometime. Dragons are prone to like those that speak the tongue."

"Oh... I don't need to ride a dragon" Harry said with a smirk. "It's my form."

"Merlin!" Sal said a smile on his face, "There was one of you around just before this portrait was made... Amazing... A source... Fabulous."

Harry shrugged, "I don't know much about that." he admitted, "I've actually been having some serious control issues with it lately."

"That is of no surprise." Sal said. "Myrthyn, the Source I knew... He came into his power later on than you obviously have. Yet even he struggled to control the flow of raw magic. There should be a book I asked him to write in the Library."

Harry looked at Sal in shock, "Library?"

"This is a school" Sal replied with amusement.

Harry grinned.

-oOo-

After getting the book from the library, and finding it was an equal to, if not superior to Hogwarts own. Harry had gone back to the headmasters office and spent the rest of the day reading and talking to Sal. Frankly he liked the guy, liked him a lot. He was funny, dry, a little perverted. All the things he liked in a friend.

But it was night time and Harry knew he had something to do. For which he would have to go back to the school. Having read Myrthyn's words he was feeling a little better about his control. So he was willing to risk it. For one thing he was a day late in helping Severus.

"I'll be back later Sal... Can I just say it's been an honour to meet you."

"Thank you" Sal replied. Then waived, "See you later."

Harry smirked, and disappeared in a swirl, heading directly for Severus's chambers.

He appeared exactly correctly, and then exclaimed, "OH GOD MY EYES!" before spinning around.

The was a panicked struggle from the couch. Snape throwing on a robe. "What the Devil!"

"My EYES"

"What are you doing in here!"

"OH GOD MY EYES"

"Stop that" Severus said, smirking slightly. But after what he was just doing, there was no way he wouldn't smile.

"Harry?" Capelle said, putting on a robe of her own.

"Oh, my eyes, my eyes" Harry said, but his shoulders were shaking with laughter.

"Harry!" Snape said in a low tone.

"Oh don't be a sour puss. You just were getting laid... One would think you'd be of a more sunny disposition" Harry commented, still facing away.

Capelle snorted a laugh.

"I thought you were... away" Severus said with a put upon sounding voice.

"Nope, well, yes. But I made you a promise I had to delay... All magic under control and I even have options for you."

"You can turn around now." Capelle said.

Harry laughed, "Urm... you know... If I look over there I'm just going to get after images of his lilly white arse going up and down, up and down..."

"Harry!" Capelle snapped, only her laughing kind of ruined the effect.

Severus wiped a hand over his face, totally failing to hide his smile. "I take it you are referring to my dark mark."

"No, I was talking about your a..."

"Harry!" Severus said, a chuckle in his voice.

Harry smirked. Apparently getting laid had removed that last bit of stick from up Snapes arse. "Sorry, I'll behave... Oh but the missed opportunities for black mail!"

"Harry!"

Harry turned around and smirked, "Nice robe Sev. But yeah.. I'm here to remove your mark. I can do what I did before... Or, I've been going over Fuck Face's memories.."

"Fuck Face?" Capelle said curiously.

"Voldemort" Harry supplied, "I've found his knowledge of the mark, the changes he made to the original slave mark and I think I can remove it. It may hurt a bit, but... not as much as the other method."

"Oh, well obviously less pain is good" Severus commented.

"Yeah... about that... That method will remove the mark... But not the taint. My previous method will get the dark magic out of you."

"Ah" Snape said nodding.

"It hurts more though." Harry felt he had to supply. "But the upshot is, it hurts Fuck Face as much. If not more, than it hurts you."

Severus smiled somewhat evilly at that thought. "Indeed? It really does?"

"Oh yes." Harry said with a matching smile.

"Severus" Capelle said, her tone soft. "You shouldn't put yourself through extra pain."

"Perhaps not my love." Severus said, to Harry making gagging noises. He reached out and clipped the young man around the back of the head before continuing, "But the taint of the Dark Mark must be removed. Hurting ... Fuck Face, I like that, is just a bonus. You have no idea how the dark Magic effects me."

"So tell me" Capelle said, obvious concern in her amber eyes.

Harry backed up a step, and made to put up a silence field for them.

Snape stopped him, "It's alright... You should hear this as well. The Dark Magic inside of me means I cannot perform light spells. Healing, or such are beyond me. Despite the fact I know several healing spells. It's part of my potions training. My offensive spells are limited (To an extent) to the darker, and much more violent spells. Meaning that I'm much more likely to cause lasting harm even in a simple duel. It has long been a fear that I would harm a student with a hex I meant to be harmless. This would mean I would no longer have that fear. Despite the extra pain."

Capelle moved to him and kissed him.

Harry smiled softly at the display, "I'm glad to see you two together" he noted. Once they had finished kissing. "I saw the spark. I just didn't know if you'd get through to the ... man." he said the last to Capelle.

"You saw the spark? Unusual for such a young man." Capelle said.

"So... Original plan then?" Harry said, brushing that under the carpet. "You realise what that entails?"

Snape nodded. "You should leave Capelle."

"I want to stay."

"I do not want you to see this" Severus replied.

"Tough"

Harry smirked as Snape wilted under her glare. "Oh... the missed opportunities" he reiterated.

"Shut up Harry" Severus said, half smiling.

Harry smiled, then moved to the Potions Master and DADA teacher. He pulled up the mans sleeve, hissing at the dark mark. "It's raw man... He has called you?"

Snape nodded. "Yesterday."

Harry shook his head, "You are far too good at hiding pain" he said, "Voldemort has given far too much pain to those around him for too long. The last time I did this I was impressed at how long she held out before blacking out."

"She?" Snape asked.

"Never mind... You ready?"

Snape nodded.

Harry looked at Capelle, who nodded at him. He flashed her a smile, "Back off please... All the way over to the far wall if you would."

Capelle paused, dithering. She wanted to stay by her.. boy friend, lover? She had yet to classify him, either way she wanted to be close.

Harry sighed, and Capelle flinched as a shield popped up between them and started moving backwards. Forcing her away to the wall he had mentioned. It then stayed there, wrapping around so she couldn't dodge it.

Harry and Severus's eyes met and Snape gave him a nod of thanks.

Harry nodded in reply. Then his aura flared. The room groaned, the sapper wards of Hogwarts flared, the reserves suddenly found an influx. Then Harry focused his power and poured it into the Dark Mark.

Once again Death Eaters and Voldemort himself began to scream. Shortly afterwards Severus began to scream too. Capelle's hand went to her mouth. Her eyes filling with tears. Watching as the amazingly powerful young man poured more and more raw magic into her... love.

The process felt to Snape to last a very long time. His throat was raw mere moments after the spell had begun. But in fact it didn't take long. His mark faded, becoming a duplicate to Bellatrix's. Then Harry yanked back his power stumbling ever so slightly. His eyes glowing with it for a short moment. He caught the man he had once hated, before he could fall and hurt himself. Lifting him with surprising ease he walked to the couch. He put him down and glanced at Capelle. She was banging on his shield crying openly. With a thought the shield dropped and she was across the room in a flash. Her hand lashing out and slapping him, before she kissed him full on the mouth and then went to Severus.

Harry staggered from that mercurial emotional flurry. Then backed away silently. Leaving Capelle to look after Severus. He could be out for some time after all.

Capelle looked up, "Thank you" she said.

Harry nodded his reply. Slinking into the shadows. Then Capelle realised she was alone, somehow he had left. This Harry Potter really was interesting, very interesting.

-oOo-

"Hey Albus!" Harry said with a big fat grin on his face as he appeared in the headmasters office.

"Oh bloody hell!"

Harry laughed his arse off, having never heard the Headmaster swear before.

"Merlin Harry I'm an old man... Have a care for my heart. Are you well lad?"

"Yes thank you sir."

"It was Albus a second ago."

"Only for comic effect"

Albus shook his head, "Is there a reason you appear to be trying to kill me?"

"Actually, you better stock up on that heart attack potion... Because I've been talking to a VERY interesting bloke all day."

"Oh... Knowing you as I do it was probably Merlin." Dumbledore said thumping his chest. "Start ya bugger start!"

Harry laughed again, "No, not quite" he said mysteriously.

Albus narrowed his eyes at the younger man. He liked this new playful Harry he had to admit. Loosening up on him had allowed him to become his own person. It was something he probably should've done before hand. Oh well, even he lived and learned. It looked like today would be the day he learned something new as well. "So..." he said leadingly.

"I suggest you grab the heads of houses. They are your... Leadership... Oh, except Sev. He's having a lay down right now." Harry said, only to be hit in the head by an Adfero. He shook his head and laughed, "I look forward to the twins release." he said apparently randomly. "It seems Sev has woken up. I'm glad I got the power level right. He's on the way up with Professor Zabini."

"Ahh, well I will message my other heads then" Dumbledore said, flicking his wand to and from his head, spurting out little phoenix's.

"Does Fawkes get jealous?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smirked in reply. The Phoenix in question... tittered at him.

It didn't take long for the Heads of House to arrive. All of whom looked at Harry curiously as they entered. Considering what he knew, Harry was happy to see Professor Sprout there. He smirked a secret smirk. "Right, well. My esteemed colleagues, if you would follow me please?"

Snape looked at him and smiled. He was then the first to line up behind Harry. The rest were quick to follow. Capelle tagged on to the end. She was obviously not a Head, but she was curious to see what the hell Harry was up to now.

Harry led them on a merry dance through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. Eventually leading them to a blank wall.

"Oh yes, very impressive" Severus drawled sardonically.

Harry half turned and lifted an eyebrow. The move just screamed, watch it mate... I know your secrets. "Long ago" Harry began, "Hogwarts was built, it grew and as time passed something were lost. One such thing has come to my attention only today, and I think you'll like it. For one thing..." he smiled, "Nah... I'll let you guess." He tapped the wall, "It's an area that we guess hasn't been used since Hogwarts was handed to the second or third headmaster."

"We?" Dumbledore asked. Excited as he was about a new area, he was also cautious enough to ask.

Harry smiled at him and wagged his finger, "No spoilers" he said with a big grin. "This area is facility housing... offices, a few classrooms and a VERY important room." he told them, causing some smiles. None of them were what you could call happy with their cramped quarters or offices.

"How do we get in?" Flitwick asked, his usually enthusiastic tone, more so.

"It's password protected, for obvious reasons. We don't think it's been changed so..." Harry smirked, looking at Professor Sprout as he said, "Helga's Sticky Turnips"

Professor Sprout glared at him. Just then the wall began to shift sideways, covering the sound of the other heads laughter.

"Godric Gryffindor set that password... by all accounts he would know" Harry mentioned casually as he sauntered into the space left by the moving wall.

This got him some confused looks. They followed him in quickly, however, as the door was already starting to move back. Once inside they looked around with glee.

"Now now" Harry said, "Not yet... Explore later, for now I HAVE to show you something. Especially you Headmaster"

Dumbledore smiled, "Judging by your show so far this should be interesting" he commented.

Harry smirked, and let them up the stairs that were at the back of the area. Those stairs let to another set, and another until finally they were at the top of the tower. "This entire tower is protected. Pranksters were around even back then" Harry said with a chuckle, "Also, can't see it from outside. Something about Dragons... anyway. Here we are. This is the room I wanted to show you. It's like a common room, not a staff room but a common room. Basically somewhere for you professor types to chill out."

"Chill out? Is it cold in there?" Macgonagal asked.

Harry smothered a laugh and pushed open the door. He walked in with a sure smile, ignoring the dust. "Please note the portraits" he said. His voice low and reverent.

"Oh my..." Dumbledore said.

"Godric Gryffindor" Harry said walking to a portrait and tapping it with his wand. It promptly came to life and looked around a little dazed. "Give them a minute they've been frozen for a long time." Harry said. "Helga Hufflepuff" he said tapping that portrait. Then he smirked, "AAAAANNNNNNDDDD Sal" he said winking at the portrait of Salazar Slytheryn.

"Oh thank you for such a marvellous introduction" Sal said dryly. "You couldn't have woken Rowena first?"

"No... I have your measure Sal. I do that, you're in like Flynn."

"True" Sal said, then drew his sword with a wicked smile, "You Did wake my old friend up though... I owe him one." he said and jumped frames.

"Hello Sal" Godric said with a big smile, as Sal appeared in his frame. He was still a bit groggy but was coming around.

"Hello Godric. You killed me"

"Oh... Did I... Sorry about... Ow!"

Harry shook his head, "Ignore them... Some issues to work out." he turned to see the entire Head Facility was gawking at him. "What?" he asked innocently.

-oOo-

"Why have you yet to active Rowena Ravenclaw's portrait Harry?" Dumbledore asked. He and his staff had been chatting to the founders available for a while. Which brought him to ask about his personal favourite. Despite the fact he had been a gryff.

Harry smirked, "'Cuz" he replied.

"Oh, yes, very informative" Albus remarked dryly.

"I'll do it now. But You'll spoil Sev's fun." Harry remarked. Walking to the portrait and tapping it with his wand.

"FINALLY!" Sal shouted suddenly. Stopping Professor Snape in mid sentence. He dived out of his frame and landed in his wife's in a flash.

Harry walked up to Severus, "They're going to be a while" he said with a smirk.

"Yes I can see that. I didn't even know Portraits could do... that" Severus remarked.

Harry laughed then suddenly got very serious, "Severus Snape... I am calling you out." he said in a dead tone.

Severus got a startled bunny expression and a hint of worry cross his features.

"Harry?" Capelle asked.

Harry smirked suddenly, "A duel... Cleaning charms at the ready" he said, eyes sparkling with humor.

Much to his fellow teachers shock, Severus's lips grew into a smile, "You're on boy!" he said mock seriously.

The two pulled their wands, and walked to the centre of the room.

"Ready Sev?" Harry asked.

"Of course."

Harry looked at Dumbledore, "You want some of this?" he asked.

Albus smirked, "Very well young whipper snapper." he said drawing his wand. He then walked to the centre of the room as well.

The three then had a mini competition to see who could clean fastest. Harry used a few cleaning chains he had never actually thought he would find an occasion to use. Meaning he was actually out ahead. Before Dumbledore stuck him in a body bind. "Hey cheater" Harry called out, laughing as best he was able.

Albus smirked at him, then became stiff as a board. He dropped next to Harry with Severus looking smug behind him.

"Cheater!" Both Harry and Albus called out.

"Of course" Snape said dryly, "How would I win otherwise." he said, then toppled over suddenly with a shocked expression.

"Can't let you boys have ALL the fun now can I?" Capelle said with a smirk.

In short order she and the rest of the faculty had tidied up leaving the place spotless. After another ten minutes she then released them.

"You'll pay for that" Severus said with a playful growl.

"Oh I do hope so" Capelle purred at him, making the man blush.

"Oh for a camera" Albus said as Harry put in, "Oh the missed Opportunities"

The other Heads of House were a little shocked at the playfulness that existed between Harry and Severus, but not that shocked about Albus. He was well known for being a mad old codger and for good reason... He was.

Harry smirked at the shocked expressions around him and walked to Sal's picture frame, then to Rowena's. "Hey... you two... Cut that out till later will ya." he said tapping the frame with the back of his knuckle. The couch placed in the portrait bumped and wiggled form the actions of the 'paint' behind it.

Then Sal's head appeared over the top, "Do you mind Harry, I have 990 years to catch up on here!"

Harry snorted a laugh, "I merely thought you would like to clear your name Sal."

Rowena's head appeared then, "Clear your name... Of What?" she asked.

"It appears people think I'm akin to a Dark Lord my love" Sal replied.

"WHAT!" came from Rowena, Godric and Helga. Godric and Helga were in much the same position as Sal and Rowena, only in Helga's frame.

Harry smirked at the redoubled shocked looks on the Facilities faces. "Oh... the Missed Opportunities" he muttered dryly.

-oOo-

"Harry!" Hermione said with absolutely no aplomb whatsoever. She dived off of her chair in the common room and didn't touch the floor again. Landing as she did, in Harry's arms. She then hugged him for alls she was worth. The year before, there was no way she would've been able to do this without knocking him flying. Harry was made of much sterner stuff these days. She knew that, because she was pressed against him.

"Hey there 'Mione" Harry said, his voice soft and smile wide. He hugged her back, not letting her drop to the floor. Since she was rather nicely pressed against him, including her breasts, he wasn't thinking about letting go any time soon. "Miss me?" he asked rhetorically.

She backed off and looked at him. Still not noticing she was being held off of the floor. "Where have you been? I've been worried about you!" she said, her tone a bit softer than her normal one.

"I was... learning, and meditating, and today I've had a VERY interesting day long conversation with one of the founders of Hogwarts" he said. His expression showing no hint that he was actually telling the truth.

"Oh you! I'm serious here."

"No... You're Hermione..." he said slowly, as if talking to an idiot. "I know this because Sirius didn't have boobs. You do, very nice ones too."

She blushed scarlet, and a round of chuckles floated around them.

She frowned, "You've not seen my breasts... yet" she told him, her eyes flirting with him.

"For shame" Harry noted wryly, then he smirked. "I was gaining control... Nothing big, just some meditation and a good nights sleep helped."

"Oh thank god, I was worried when you blacked out in the Great Hall" she told him. Her arms still around his neck. Which was getting her a few mean looks and smirks. Mean from Lav, smirking from Parv.

"Well, so was I... but I was out less than a day, that's got to be some sort of record"

Hermione chuckled, then frowned slightly, "Harry..."

"Hmmm"

"Is that a wand in your pocket?"

More laughter.

"No" Harry said seriously, "I'm just pleased to see you too."

"Harry! I can't believe you used that old line." Hermione said over the renewed laughter.

"Old, and still fresh" Harry replied.

"Seriously what is it?" she asked.

Harry whispered in her ear.

"Really?" she purred, then shook herself, "Put me down." she ordered, blushing slightly.

Harry smiled sexily at her, "Do I have to?"

"Yes!"

"Okay" he grumbled, letting her drop.

Hermione then poked what had been pressed against her, "Ha! I knew it. Typical man, all talk. It's a... lighter. Harry!"

"What?"

"I thought you quit?"

"What made you think that?"

"You told me you had."

"Oh... I lied"

"Harry!"

Harry smirked, "Well, now I've assured you I am well and in good spirits... I have to talk to Dean... coming?" he asked.

She smiled at him, just a little invitingly. Her mind was obviously miles away from what he had meant by that statement. Which was fine by him. He rather liked that she had a dirty mind actually.

He walked over to his 'artistic consultant' "Hey mate" he said, attracting Deans attention. Who had to that point been submerged in the world of color. AKA working on his art.

"Oh, hey there mate. What can I do for you... I did you're board by the way, it's on your bed."

"Great stuff, but I'm actually after the design work. Ca... Professor Zabini said she gave you hers to give to me with yours" Harry replied.

"Oh yeah, it's upstairs. Want me to grab your board while I'm there?"

"Yes please mate" Harry said with a smile.

Dean dashed off, giving Hermione and Harry ample time to look at what he was working on. "That guy is seriously talented" Harry said tilting his head from side to side.

"I'm quite jealous really" Hermione noted with a wistful sigh.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"I have no talent"

Harry swatted her bum, "Hey!" she said.

He frowned at her, "Don't you dare say you have no talent. Do you not think being intelligent is a talent. Or the way you can work with spells? Is that not talent... I think it bloody is."

Hermione blushed, "Thank you that's very kind Harry..."

"...Shhh... I mean it. It's a talent. You created the contract for the DA last year from scratch. That seems pretty bloody talented to me. So let's have no more of this 'I have no talent' bollocks. Anyway" he smirked, "You have other talents."

"Such as?" she asked, playfully.

"You make me stand up when you walk in the room." he said.

"You don't stand up when I walk in the room. You stay sat down."

"That's not what I meant" he said with a wink.

"Harry!" she said blushing, but smiling with it.

Dean chose that moment to return, handing Harry his Board and an artists Portfolio folder. "Professor Zabini said this was the thing for design work?"

"Yeah, Thanks mate." Harry said with a grin. He hefted his board, admiring the detailed dragon rampaging around the wood. It was breathing animated paint fire and roaring with no sound. It curled itself around 'Harry' written in graffiti style writing and breathed another flame. He flipped the board to see that Dean had outdone himself with an even more finely detailed Jaguar. Meaning unwittingly he had both Harry's form. Dean had done the dragon because of the sculpture Harry had made. Not realising that Harry was also a Dragon Animagus. Which is why he had put the Jaguar on the top. It stretched and growled at him, fangs flashing in the fake moonlight.

"Oh that's lovely" Hermione said with a smile.

"Thank you" Harry added, "This is wicked."

"Yeah, I was quite proud of it. Magical art is... cool" Dean said with a grin.

"Right, now I must away to my awaiting partners in grime... No, crime" Harry said with a smirk.

"Okay mate, let me know if you need more. I have a few ideas." dean said, patting his now ever present sketch book.

Harry flashed him a smile. "I will don't worry. Get the payment alright? Goblins set up your vault okay?"

"Yes, thanks for that Harry. It's weird having a vault at Gringotts" Dean said with a shake of his head, "But cool."

Harry smiled again, "I'll leave you too it then. Come wench, let's be away." he said the last playfully. As he shrank the portfolio and stuck it in his pocket. Dean smirked at the move, since Harry had said no spell and his wand was god alone knew where.

"Who are you calling a wench?" Hermione said with a mild glare, tempered by her smile.

Harry smirked, dropping his board as he said, "Urm... You" he said, then grabbed her around the waist and lifted her on to the board. Then holding her so she didn't fall off he pushed off. Flying through the portrait as someone happened to come in.

Hermione held on for dear life as they gained speed, flying down the corridor smoothly. "Harry!" she gasped. Her arms wrapping around him.

Harry smiled at her. She looked at him, and smiled back. Then faced forward and just enjoyed the rush. She wasn't in Gryffindor for no reason after all.

Harry propelled them a little faster, pushing the envelope a bit. In truth, he could make the board move without help. He had figured out how the night before as he free associated a little. It was so bloody simple it was almost funny that he had missed it. Now seemed as good a time as any to give it a go. It wasn't dangerous after all.

Hermione yelped as they suddenly got faster, a surge that had not been accompanied by Harry moving. Which was a shame as far as she was concerned. Because he was pressed into her and the movement was, quite nice. Another surge, and no movement again.

"How?" she managed.

"Wandless Banisher's" Harry replied, "Aimed at the back of the board" Harry went on to say.

"Clever" Hermione said with a smile. Her hair streaming passed Harry's head they were now travelling so fast. She frowned slightly, "Have you given any thought to stopping?" she added, looking at the wall that was looming ahead of them.

"Ah, spotted the deliberate mistake have you?" Harry said, a smirk in his tone.

"Harrrrryyyyyy" she drawled.

Harry smiled, giving her waist a squeeze, "You're safe with me. I won't let anything happen to you" he said.

"I know Harry, but the wall?"

Harry smirked, "Fancy a trip off the grounds?" he asked.

"Harryyyyyyyy"

"I'll take that as a yes"

Just as they reached the wall his magic flared and the disappeared in a swirl of magic.

-oOo-

"Harry!" Hermione yelped, as the board was tilted backwards, killing their speed within seconds. She jumped off the board and looked around agog, "How?"

"I know, you can't apparate in Hogwarts... Luckily I didn't"

"Is this more of what you were talking about before?" she asked.

Harry nodded, "Yep."

"Care to share a bit more information than that? Oh, and where are we?"

Harry smirked, "I brought you so I can take you to dinner. I'll tell you more then."

"Oh" Hermione blushed, "You're supposed to ask a girl you know."

"Oh, I knew I forgot something... Would you do me the honour of having dinner with me?" he asked.

"I suppose" she said impishly.

Harry smirked, "As for where we are... Diagon Alley. Or just off of it."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, there is a nice restaurant at the end by all accounts. Also, I have to meet with Fred and George."

Hermione looked down at her attire, "I can hardly go into Diagon Alley like this Harry"

"So change it"

"I can't. I can't use my wand out of school."

Harry smirked, "I'm always using my wand out of school."

Hermione smirked back at him, "I'm sure" she remarked dryly, "That doesn't mean you get to 'Use your wand' tonight"

Harry's eyes burned with lust for a moment, causing her to catch her breath, "That's a shame" he said in a virtual purr, then he smiled, "Perhaps another night"

Hermione didn't dare answer that the way she really wanted to. "What about this" she said fingering her school uniform.

"It's quite fetching I suppose." Harry remarked ironically.

"I mean! How can I go out like this."

"Change it?"

"Harry!"

"Oh..." Harry waved his hand at her. A wash of magic hit her and changed her uniform completely.

Harry's smile grew wicked. "There... changed."

"Harry!" she sputtered, "This is a mini skirt... And how do you expect me to walk in these?" she said indicating her heels.

Harry's eyes drifted up and down her.

She waited, and waited a bit longer, "Harry! Stop eyeing my like a side of beef and take this off!"

Harry just 'moved' and Hermione found herself pressed against the wall, virtually nose to nose with him. "Can I take that as an invitation" he purred, before kissing her passionately.

Once he broke off Hermione found herself wanting to shout, 'YES' as loud as she could. She had kissed him twice now. Each had been better than the last, and that kiss just then had blown off her socks... If she had been wearing any. She cleared her throat, "Not yet" she replied, a half smile on her face that made Harry want to shag her there and then.

"Shame" he said, looking all the world like he meant it with every fibre of his being.

"I can't go out there... like this" she said, clearing her mind of all lustful intent. With a great deal of difficulty too.

"So change it" Harry said smirking, and moving back. He had to, otherwise his more primal needs would force him to kiss her again.

"Harry!"

He smirked, turned and started to walk away. Hermione growled at him, semi playfully. Then drew her wand and transfigured a handkerchief into a long coat. Which she flung over herself. It covered her somewhat, and allowed her some semblance of control back over her modesty. Though she was definitely keeping this outfit.

She stumbled slightly, then caught her balance and walked after Harry. "Wait up" she said, "These aren't exactly easy to walk in you know."

"Apparently you get used to it" Harry remarked.

"One of your... Harem?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at her, gauging her jealousy from that statement. There had been no hint of it or censure.

She rolled her eyes at him, "I've done some research over and above what I had done previously. It's your nature Harry. I'm not totally sold on playing my part in any Harem. That said, however, I'm not totally against it either."

"You're just trying to get me to shag you aren't you" Harry commented dryly.

"Urm... Not sure how you get that from that comment" she had to admit.

Harry smiled, "It's not the comment. It's that you accept me for who I am... Unconditionally, and without reservation. You have no idea what you mean to me Hermione, you really don't. If you decide you want no part in any... Harem. I'll understand, honestly I will. I hope you don't decide that, but I'll understand. Even be fine with it... Just as long as you always, always stay my friend"

Hermione tottered over to him and laid a kiss on his cheek, "Always. That I can promise"

Harry kissed her back, not on the cheek. Leaving her breathing hard and a little flushed. "Good" he said, then took her hand and walked into the alley.

They were pretty much ignored, it being quite late in the evening. Harry had found it was Friday. Keeping up with what day it was, was becoming more and more difficult of late. It all just seemed to blur into one long adventure lately. He was glad it was Friday though for many reasons. No class, for one. Secondly he and Hermione wouldn't be missed any time soon. It also meant the twins would still be open. It had to be about 6pm, meaning they would be closing within half an hour. Which suited him perfectly. He led his 'date' to the garish green store front.

"Oh my god" Hermione said laughing. "I swear Wizards are color blind"

Harry snorted softly, "The twins are at least." he agreed. Then led her into the shop. It was mostly empty, just a few customers browsing. The twins were no where to be seen.

"OI! Ginga's!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs.

Fred walked out with a scowl, "Who the fuck are you calling a ... Oh Hey there" he said, his face breaking into a smile.

"Fred" Harry said smiling.

"Harry!" Fred said smiling.

George walked out, "Harry!" he said.

"George" Harry replied.

"Hermione!" Fred said.

"Fred!" Hermione replied

"Hermione!" George said.

"George."

"Harry!"

"Hermione"

"Fred"

"George"

"Harry"

"George"

"Fred"

"Hermione"

"Fred"

"George"

"Harry"

"Hermione"

"George"

"Fred"

"He... Who are you again I've lost track." Hermione said with a grin.

Harry shrugged, "I'm Fred"

"I'm Hermione" George said.

"That makes me... Harry" Hermione said.

Fred clicked his fingers, "Damn... I wanted to be Harry... I suppose I'm George then."

"I dunno" George said, "I've totally lost track."

They all looked at each other and fell about laughing. The few remaining patrons of the store floating out of the door and tossing them 'worried' looks.

They watched them go, and laughed some more.

"Oh Merlin, that was fun!" George said, "Oh well. May as well shut up shop." he said with a grin.

"Yep, twin o mine. It was a slow evening anyway. No doubt Harry has EVEN MORE work for us to do." Fred said, nodding to the board tucked under Harry's arm.

Harry smiled at them. Then reached in to his pocket and retrieved the shrunken designs. "I have those designs we wanted actually" he said.

"Right'o mate, bring them out back" George said, coming back from locking the front door and putting over the closed sign.

Harry and Hermione followed Fred and George. Hermione a little worried about what she was being led into. She was pleasantly surprised to find a large comfortable space with some arm chairs and various scribbled on black boards around the place.

"Blackboards are new" Harry noted.

"We need them. Keep running out of bloody parchment" George said with a chuckle.

"We've been working on the phones... urh what's that word, oven procedure... No... Something system..." Fred said.

"Operating?" Hermione hazarded.

"That's the one." Fred said, pointing at her ala Charades.

Hermione giggled slightly, being around the twins was always fun.

"But before we start business." George said

"We have to talk personal." Fred finished.

"Ginny?" Harry guessed.

The twins nodded, "We had Bill in here." Fred began.

"He told us what happened" George ended.

Harry nodded, used to the way they spoke by now. Well as used to it as it was possible to get. "Yeah... that was not good."

"Ron did the right thing..."

"... But he didn't"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I thought the same. If it had been me that was chasing Gin, then he'd be well within his brotherly rights I reckon."

The twins nodded in their usual eerie syncronicity.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, "I think Ginny is quite capable of looking after herself. If she is chasing Harry there is nothing ANY of you can do about it. Violence is NEVER the answer."

"No, Violence is the question... The answer is yes" Harry said with a smirk. The twins laughed, mostly at the glare Hermione was shooting him. "I also think I at least have a say in it don't I?"

Hermione shot him a superior smile, "No"

The twins laughed once more.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Either way, I'm not angry at Ron... I have No Clue what to do about the situation though."

"Bill's dealt with it"

"For the most part at least."

"He's called off Charlie."

"But couldn't call off Percy."

Harry nodded, "I'm surprised. He read me the riot act. He owes Cissy and Fleur a bloody apology as well."

"He said he was going to.."

"... do that when he saw them..."

"... the next."

"Can you two stop that. It's bloody confusing" Hermione put in.

They smirked at her, with Harry joining in for the fun of it.

"So what is it you wanted to say to me about it then?" Harry asked.

"Partner or not."

"Friend or not."

"We'll kick your arse"

"If you hurt Ginny"

"I'd like to say I won't. But either way it's likely she will get hurt."

"We know that." George said.

"Just don't hurt her on purpose." Fred finished. "Now we've done our brotherly duty."

"On with the business."

Harry smiled, and pulled out the designs, "I've not seen these myself yet" he said, then looked at what he was retrieving, "Wow" He passed out the sheets, "These are seriously professional looking."

"I don't get it?" Fred said.

"What are we looking at?" George added.

"Designs dumb arses" Harry put in.

"Tut" Hermione tutted, "They are Orthographic projections. Front, Back, and side. See..."

"Ahhh" the twins said in unison, "Now we get it"

"It's weird when they do that huh?" Harry said with a smirk.

Hermione nodded her agreement.

"I like them. Lots of different shapes." Fred said.

"There's some little ideas for designs to put on the shapes too" George added.

Harry nodded, "Yeah Capelle is pro, but Dean has some serious promise in that regard too. You can tell who did what though. Capelle's designs are functional, simple, almost... graceful in a way. Deans are a little more fun, wild and probably would suit the younger market more. Can you fit the workings in these?"

George nodded, then waved at the black board behind him, "That's a special irreversible shrinking charm we cooked up. With it, we can fit the workings into just about anything."

Harry got up and walked to the board studying it.

Hermione looked at the twins with an impressed look on her face, "That's really clever" she complimented them.

The twins blushed slightly, still not sued to people complimenting them on their brains. More used to being congratulated for their pranks.

Harry picked up a piece of chalk as the twins swapped the designs around. Including Hermione as well, which she was grateful for. For one thing she got to see the amazing designs, for another it made her feel like a part of it all. Lately she had been missing Harry quite a bit with him dashing around she hardly saw him. With Ron going off with Lavender every ten seconds she had spent quite a lot of time alone lately. This was not something she liked much. Perhaps another reason on top of the many she already had, to join Harry's 'harem'. The chief reason being, of course, she fancied him rotten.

"Yeah... if you change this here" harry said, jotting on the board as he spoke, "And added this..." his hand flowing and chalk lines appearing, "You can change the shape as well. So the workings will fit better. Other than that though this is amazing work fella's... Nice one."

Fred walked up behind Harry and looked at what he had changed, the nodded, "Yeah nice one Harry... We didn't think about shape."

Harry waived it off, "How's the Occlumancy and Legimancy going?"

"Done" they said together.

Harry reached out and brushed up against their shields with his mind. He could get through easily enough, he had a way of bypassing shields completely. But anyone else? No chance, "Nicely done lads. I'll come back tomorrow and cast the Fidelius"

"You can cast that?" Hermione said, surprise lacing her voice.

Harry smirked at her, "No, I'm in fact lying."

"Oh..."

The twins looked at each other, than Harry, then Hermione and laughed.

"Oh Harry!" Hermione said, blushing slightly.

"Right, on to this" Harry said walking over and hefting his board.

"What is it?" George asked.

"Fun" Hermione put in with an impish grin.

"That it is" Harry agreed, "It's a skate board... sort of."

"Should that be hover board really?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head, "Not really no. You can see it. But there is a field under the board, it's a levitation charm, but there is also a bit that 'rolls'. It creates the friction that slows the board down" he said, hunching down and rolling the board to her.

She moved forward, her coat sliding down one leg as she did. Harry's smile grew.

"Nice legs!" Fred said with a mad grin.

Hermione blushed and covered up again,"Blame him" she said glaring at Harry as she rolled the board back.

"Blame?" George said. "Thank more like"

She blushed prettily at them.

"Hey... stop chatting up my date" Harry said mildly. "Anyway... This is fun and a lot of people have been asking about it. It's dead simple actually. But I figure there is a market for it. So... I won't tell anyone the charms. Well except you two of course."

"And Me?" Hermione asked with a slight smile.

"For a price" Harry replied with a sexy smile.

"They're flirting" George said in an aside to his brother.

"Cute init" Fred replied.

Both Harry and Hermione blushed.

"So.. nah, this is getting too much mate. There's only two of us." Fred began.

George nodded his agreement, "We'd like to help but..."

"How about I help you?" Harry said, and pulled out a piece of parchment from one of his many coat pockets. He passed it to Fred, since he was closest.

The two twins huddled around the parchment, then looked at Harry. "Are you serious?"

Harry nodded, "Can't think of two people I would rather do this with."

They looked at each other, then leaped on Harry capering all around him.

"Do what?" Hermione asked.

"We're going into business!" Fred said gleefully.

"Big business!" George added in the same fashion.

"It's a ... gerroff you two... It's a partnership deal." harry explained, "GFH Industries. That's a basic business plan. I'm fronting the cash and those two will be doing most of the running around... Since I'm still in school."

"No no, one change" Fred said glancing at his brother.

George nodded, "It has to be HFG"

"Or HGF" Fred said.

"Or bugger off" Harry said.

"Your ideas, it's fair you get top billing" George said.

"You two will be doing the lions share of the work. Hiring, Research and all that boring crap." Harry argued.

"We don't care." George said.

"Business is as fun as pranking" Fred added.

"You're the ideas man." George said.

"You thought of the phones" Harry put in.

The twins glared at him, "Alright, alright. But I am not posing for a publicity photo" Harry said with a laugh.

They smiled at him widely. Then began to caper around him again.

Harry shook his head and shot Hermione a smile.

Hermione looked serious, "Starting a business as big as you are talking about takes quite a lot of outlay."

"I know... but we'll get it back within a month" Harry said confidently.

The twins looked at each other, "You're talking about starting it straight away, the phones won't be ready till Christmas"

"At least"

Harry smiled, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out what appeared to be a piece of clear plastic. A movement of his fingers and it split into another four pieces of clear plastic, "Shall I cast the Fidelius now?"

The twins and Hermione seemed confused at this apparent blast form left field.

Harry smirked and walked to the odd machine that stored numbers for the new mobile network. He then peeled off a sticker, which showed it was in fact sticker. Then he put it on one side of the machine. Then repeated the process for each side. Leaving him with one final sticker. "I made these as a proof of concept" he said with a smile. "In all honesty, using this method for this spell... not a great idea. It does, show how powerful it is though." he said then slapped the last sticker on top of the machine.

The twins and Hermione blinked and shook their heads. Harry then passed them each a piece of parchment.

'The Mobile Number Storage device is in the back room of WWW" Hermione read aloud. Then gasped as the machine suddenly appeared. "Bloody hell!"

Fred and George made similar, but more coarse, sounds of surprise.

Harry smirked, "Instant Fidelius" he remarked. "Those stickers are just sticky back plastic. Runes pre printed on them. We can ship housing security to those that can't afford proper ward schemes. Build in a 'use by' or 'good for date' and we have a repeat market, might want to hire bill for that by the way... Anyway... The runes hold the magic. So oddly enough they can be laser printed, that's a Muggle thing cheap way of creating thousands of copies. You see it's the actual rune schema that is magic. Not the person doing it. Which is why you can paint, scrape or use a felt tip to create wards"

Fred and George looked at each other then started jumping around again, this time shouting, "We're gunna be rich!" every two seconds.

Hermione was shooting Harry a very odd look at that moment. "What?" he asked.

"God you turn me on" she said breathing hard her eyes lustful.

This caused the twins to stop dancing and fall on the floor laughing themselves stupid.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Hermione blushed brightly. He was doing it again, looking at her like she was beautiful and sexy and that he would like to do nothing else but make love to her all night long. She had to say she liked that look on his face. She was not even sure now, why, she had been so interested in Ron. Harry was so much sexier, so much more... attractive. Oh god, she had to remain in control. Otherwise, she would be screaming his name in the back alley at any moment. However, she was not so sure that was such a bad idea. Other than the fact, she had no wish to lose her virginity in some dirty back alley.

This evening she had found out something that made her even more attracted to Harry as well. It was something that in truth was making it hard for her to not jump him. She had always known he was bright. She had just found out he was a borderline Genius. That spoke to a part of her that she had not expected. A part seemed to control her hormones as well. Since, frankly, they were gushing out of her at that very moment.

"You've not eaten much... Are you not hungry?" Harry asked.

Hermione smiled faintly at him, "You've given me a lot to think about you know?" She told him wistfully.

"I Have?"

"Yes, you have." She affirmed.

"What's that then?" He asked. He did not really know that he had given her much to think about really.

Hermione smiled at him. She realised then that he did not know what he did to her. Did not know what he was doing to most of the girls in the school of late. He was handsome, sexy, rich, famous, powerful and very intelligent and charming. That was quite the combination. He was not monogamous though. He had told her upfront for which she was grateful and in a way, she was touched. It showed her that he respected her, and oddly enough, that was even more of a turn on.

"I am wondering if I am the jealous type or not." She said.

Harry smirked slightly, "I can guess, but what brings that on?"

She smiled demurely at him. She did not really have to answer that question after all.

"You know I'm not pressuring you into anything... right?" Harry asked, looking a little worried. "I thought you might like to know more about what's going on. Also, I thought it would be nice to have a meal, just you and me."

Hermione smiled again, this time with a sexy edge to her smile. "It is, and I do. Just spending time with you, however, has brought me to a very important conclusion Harry."

"What's that?"

"I fancy you rotten." She said, blushing slightly.

Amusingly enough, she noted that Harry blushed as well, though he was smiling at her as well. "I fancy you rotten too Hermione." He told her seriously. His tone and expression making it clear he was not just returning the compliment for the sake of doing so. He obviously meant it, and that made her feel good. After Ron, virtually ignoring her, her confidence had slipped quite a bit. Even with the kiss, she had gotten from Harry at the time. Oh god, she had liked that kiss, almost as much as the one that very night. She could get used to kissing him, probably more than she should.

"Not only that, I want you" Hermione said blushing once more. She had to say these things though, before her courage left her. "I want you to want me too."

"I do, I REALLY do." Harry said.

"But you want other girls too?" Hermione asked. Her tone was not condemning him, it was more curious than anything else.

"I do." He replied. Hermione was glad he had answered her honestly.

"Can I ask you a few... personal questions?"

"I suppose that depends on why and what" Harry replied carefully.

"For my own peace of mind and curiosity I will admit mostly curiosity."

Harry smiled, "okay, since it's you."

"How many girls have you shagged?

"Hermione!"

She smiled at him, "Not expecting such a blunt question?" She asked.

"No" Harry replied, smiling.

"Are you going to answer it?"

Harry looked at her for a long moment, "Three" he said finally. "I've had sex with three different women."

"Women?"

"One girl, two women." Harry corrected.

Hermione nodded, "Who was your first?"

"That's a tough question," Harry said, smirking slightly.

"Why, were those three at the same time or something?"

Harry laughed, "No. It's just I'm not sure how you're going to react to his woman's identity."

"It was a woman then?"

Harry nodded.

"Well as long as it wasn't... I dunno Umbridge or something."

"Thought you were going to say Bellatrix LeStrange" Harry said.

Hermione's face creased in confusion, "Who?"

Harry nodded slightly, that confirmed that. He had a quiet word with the Twins too and they had not known whom he had meant. However, one mention of Bell Black and they were all smiles. It was... scary.

"No one just misremembered a name," Harry said. "And no, thank god... It wasn't Umbridge"

"Then who?"

"Fleur"

Hermione blinked, "Delacour?"

"Know any other Fleurs?" He asked with a smirk.

"You lucky bastard," she said with an impish smile. "She's attractive enough that I'd quite like to sleep with her."

Harry coughed, "Damn that's a nice image."

Hermione smirked at him, "I'm a little Bi-Curious... What can I say?"

"There is nothing wrong with that." Harry said with a smile, though his eyes were a little glazed. "Damn" he said again almost reverently.

Hermione said something, a couple of times, but Harry was lost in his mental imagery. "Harry?" She said eventually reaching over and prodding him with her fork.

"Sorry, what?

"I asked, 'who else have you... been with?'"

"Why do you want to know?" Harry asked.

"Wondering who my fellow Harem members would be obviously, if I decide yes."

"Well, the 'girl' I slept with- actually had sex with, is unlikely to be around much longer. Hell, I may actually end up killing her to shut her up." Harry said smirking slightly.

"Tsk, having sex with someone you don't even like... How very ... Male" Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.

Harry shrugged, "Don't get me wrong, she's attractive, intelligent and well that's about it actually... She's a ... Freak though."

"It's Cho I take it?"

"That was a nice deduction."

"Hardly a hard one Harry" Hermione said. "She's been acting a little strange around you of late, not to mention shooting you some very hot looks. So we Have Fleur, Cho and."

"Someone else," Harry said with a smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "What about relations then? Sexual relations I mean."

"That's a bit more of a list." Harry admitted.

"Can I make some guesses?"

Harry smiled, "Of course you can."

"Lavender; without doubt, you've had sexual relations with her. Even now, she would be with you like-" she clicked her fingers, "'that', if you gave even a hint you were interested."

"She's barmy"

"Yes, I think she has what the American's call 'Serious Issues'."

Harry smirked. He had to agree with that one.

"Daphne Greengrass"

Harry shook his head; "I kissed her once though I'll admit. She was annoying me."

"So you... Kissed her- That seems like an odd way to deal with someone annoying you."

"Yes, it is rather."

Hermione shook her head with a fond smile. "Parv"

Harry nodded, "Yes, lots of kissing she wants a re-run."

"Re-run?"

"It's how Lav and I hooked up actually. I went out clubbing and bumped into her and Parv. After that, we saw each other, Lav I mean, after term started. Then, she went a bit nuts around first Hogsmeade Weekend. However, Parv- I have only kissed twice since that night. She is interested in doing that again though. But I've been kind of busy lately" Harry said with a smirk. He was wondering what all this was leading towards. He owed her the unvarnished truth though. He felt that he did anyway. He just hoped this was not leading to her declaring him a pervert, slapping him and leaving.

"I had wondered."

"You know, it's just occurred to me, the oath I threatened her with was actually one sided. Only, I couldn't tell, now how dumb was that?" Harry said with a shake of his head, "At least I was more careful with Tracey... Huh?" He said a shocked look on his face.

"You and Tracey Davis?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, and then held out his hand. A small fireball appeared in his hand, "Okay. That is weird. Let me try something here. I made a deal with Tracey. She likes to watch. I caught her watching, and then made a deal where she could... continue... this is weird!"

"What is?"

"The deal- its Oath protected."

"Oh Harry!" Hermione said. "You swore on your magic? It does not matter anyway... Those Oaths are designed for Wizard and Witches. They are also bloody dangerous. You should not be bandying them about. As to why you are unaffected. It is for humans- You cannot really be called that, not entirely at least. Even if the Oath worked, you are a source Harry. You can no more disconnect your magic than you can suddenly disconnect your heart, or your head or an arm-bad example's actually. You cannot disconnect, or lose your magic. Those oaths won't mean a damn thing."

"Oh" Harry said, "How did you know that?"

"It's bloody obvious Harry," Hermione said with a smile. "Dragon form, only one in the last 1000 years, who was by all accounts as mighty as Merlin himself? Oh, and Merlin himself was a Dragon Animagus... It's all quite clear."

"To you maybe... Some of us aren't that bright"

"Hey! Don't put yourself down Harry. Not after showing the way your mind works. Not after doing a bloody instant Fidelius with stickers." Hermione said looking angry.

Harry smiled at her, "Thank you. But I am not that clever. When I first found out about this... source thing, Voldemort mind attacked me... I turned the tables and in the process, Mind dumped him. That is to say, I stole his knowledge. Then the same with Snape, and then finally I did it to Dumbledore... I am having a bit of a control problem with that actually. The point is... The learning is not my own... Unlike some very smart and sexy witches I can mention"

"You made the connections Harry... I am impressed with this 'Mind Dumping' I have to admit. Does that mean you know where Voldemort is, or how he survived?"

Harry shook his head, "No to the first. I am still trawling through his knowledge for clues as to how he survived. I think he's in a Fidelius protected location and I don't think he is the Secret Keeper."

"That would make sense... Who else have you? Dumped?"

"Needs a better name huh?"

Hermione nodded with a smile.

"Madam Pomfrey, Professor's Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout, and that's about it. The last few, I really did not mean to. I helped them find somewhere, and while I was with them... boom. I've got a bit of a handle on it now, so I've not done you."

"You can if you want"

"What?"

"Do me"

"Chance would be nice."

Hermione smiled, "I mean take my knowledge. I have a lot in here," she said tapping her head, "Not something I can help. It is like a sponge up there- Perhaps there will be something that will help, so please- Dump me."

Harry smiled; "I'd never dump you Hermione."

She smiled again, "Then feel free to avail yourself of my knowledge. Lots of Muggle stuff up there too. Have at it."

"I dunno Hermione, I mean... It is cheating really. It is also a bit like stealing. At first, I only did it to those that tried to steal from me... It has gone a bit mental now... I've had to lock off the new knowledge so I don't get overwhelmed."

"Please... I want to help you. I have ALWAYS wanted to help you. Do you have ANY idea what you are to me Harry, what you mean to me?"

"Urm, your friend?"

"You are that and more Harry. Back in our first year, how do you think you coming to save me affected me?"

"I dunno, I didn't think it did really?"

"Of course it did, you Wally. I am not a rabid fan girl Harry. I know how you feel about them. But that day I fell in love with you. Ron too a little, but mostly you. I knew even then that it was you who dragged him there. I just had that confirmed by the way, by the look on your face." She smiled sexily; "I'm not the fanatic type. However, you were, are and will always be my Hero Harry. Then, you became friends with me? Do you have any idea how many friends I have, or had back then?"

"Urm, loads I expect" Harry said.

"None" she said firmly. "Acquaintances, but," She smiled thinly, "I was a know it all little bitch in school; a nerdy one at that, and a host of other less than attractive traits. Being with you and Ron has curtailed that somewhat. I have more friends now, but, then, well, none. So you save me, make friends with me and... What the hell am I doing? I am sat here trying to decide if I should join this Harem. I already have" she said laughing, "You know... let's make it official... I'm with you Harry all the way and in anyway."

Harry blinked, and then smiled, "I'm not sure how to respond."

"You can start by kissing me," she smiled, "My hero."

-#-

Harry did not waste much time in taking Hermione somewhere more private after that first 'official' kiss. Using his rune stone, which Hermione had been very interested in, he had whisked them away to his secret lair. He had made sure to use the combination that asked Tracey to steer clear. He was not actually sure she would. Then again, he was not in the mood to try stopping her right at that moment.

He had Hermione on his lap, her coat long gone. Her legs were astride him and her mouth was on his own. That was pretty much the focus of his attentions at that moment. Especially since, she was still wearing the outfit he had put on her as a joke. Dear god, he liked this joke.

Hermione moaned into his mouth, pulling back afterwards to look in his eyes. "Am I doing the right thing?" She asked.

"You think too much." Harry said, kissing her neck and jaw line.

Hermione smiled in pleasure, "Probably." She admitted.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to do... You know that right?" Harry said, stopping to look her in the eyes.

She smiled gratefully at him, "I'm happy to hear you say that Harry."

Harry shrugged, and then went back to trailing kisses along her neck and jaw line. Which in turn made her purr in pleasure, her hand was loosely holding him in place. One of his hands then drifted up her leg a bit. He had been holding her just above her knee. He was pushing the boundaries without pushing them, in a way.

She did not stop him, or in any way make it clear she wanted him to stop. The small sounds of pleasure she was making actually went counter to a stop order; egging him on, encouraging the action. He moved his hand to her thigh, just stroking her gently. He felt he had pushed enough for one night.

Hermione smiled, any other bloke their age would push it. They would put their hand on her breast, or move far up her leg. Harry, it appeared, knew better and appeared to sense her limits. Though the longer, he kissed her, the less she wanted to limit him in any way. His lips came off her neck, finding her lips and pressing against them. His used his lips to part hers a little, his tongue begging permission. Her own tongue reached out and granted that permission and they kissed fully. Her hands went into his hair and one of his went to hers. He held the back of her head as they kissed.

She shifted forward her eagerness showing in several ways. Not the least of which was the obvious nipple erection that was now pressed against his chest. He liked that he could do that to her, and he had not even tapped his power yet. He was not sure if he should or not actually. That said; he knew it gave pleasure. He wanted to give her pleasure, wanted to make her feel the best he could. The things she had said to him had not made him think her a fan girl. They had touched him and complimented him in ways he had not been before. It was obvious that he had more of an effect on his friend than he had ever thought. The things he had done, he done because he felt he should. It did not often occur to him what those things would 'feel' like to others.

She loved him and he loved her. It was not some kind of soppy romantic girly and trashy romance novel love. It was love though, and that meant something to Harry. It meant a lot in fact, which is why he then slowly began to let his power flow. He could give her pleasure, and now he knew his power had an effect if used stupidly. He knew he could control that reaction, the reaction Lavender seemed to be having, or she had experienced at least. Frankly, he had no care at that moment. All he cared about was the beautiful woman on his lap and making her smile, making her feel good.

Hermione moaned low in her throat, breaking off her kiss and looking down at him hotly. "Is that... part of your power...? Like the breakfast table?"

Harry was amused, and mildly annoyed that she could think so easily. She really did have a brain like a bacon slicer. She asked though, she he had to answer her. He had decided that total honesty was best with Hermione, "Yes... The Breakfast table was an accident though. Seamus pissed me off and my power flared while I was touching you..." he smiled sexily, his pupils were dilated and eyes unfocused with rampant lust. "I can make it feel much better than that. I can draw it out slowly, or-" he smiled sexily again, "I can make you come so hard your eyes will roll for a week."

Hermione's eyes were more than a little lust filled as well. She kissed him again, much more lustily than she had before, her hips working in an automatic response. This just drove up the heat a little more, to the point that it was getting dangerous. Alternatively, if not dangerous, perhaps dangerously close to the limit of what she wanted to 'do' that evening. Right at that moment, she did not care.

Harry did though. He could sense her beginning to lose her inhibitions. To loose that sense of self-control and he wanted her to. That said; he did not want her to regret anything that happened between them. He broke off the kiss and looked at her seriously. "We should stop," he said, breathing hard.

Hermione's eyes cleared a little and she smiled at him, thankfully, "We should." She agreed.

He smiled wickedly, "Before we do..."

"Yes?"

He looked her in the eye, a sexy look in his emerald regard. "I want to watch your face when I do... this."

Hermione's world exploded into a riot of colour that then flushed out to black and white, pleasure hit her like a tsunami and a thunderstorm of desire thrashed her brains out. When she eventually came back to herself a bit she realised she was letting out a sound unlike any she had uttered before. She had just had an orgasm, and she had LIKED it. She looked at Harry with a sensual smile. "Did you enjoy my face?"

Harry smirked slightly. "I think you mean the look on your face... In which case I did, I rather like the fact you can't think straight enough to say that properly." He admitted with a smug look on his face.

Hermione laughed after a slightly stunned moment, and then collapsed against him, holding him tightly. Her body continued to shiver from her experience.

Harry then looked up at the Mirror. Okay, apparently Tracey had ignored his message. He glared at her, and the cheeky bitch just replied by waving at him. The fact she had an enlarged wand in her hand made it hard to be mad at her though.

"I'll send you back 'Mione... We will talk more tomorrow... I have to deal with someone." Harry said in to her ear.

"She watched?" Hermione said, matching her volume to his and whispered in his ear.

"Yes, sorry, she is not supposed to come if I press a certain combination... Of course she may already have been here." Harry replied and he had to admit this was as much her bolthole, as it was his.

"I don't mind- in fact." Her breath was hot in his ear and he noticed her voice had dipped an octave and was somewhat sensual. "Oddly enough, it's got me worked up again."

Harry smiled, "Then maybe I get arrange something later on. Right now I have to tell her off, or at least find out what happened."

Hermione smiled, then pulled back and kissed him hotly. Before turning and waving at the Mirror, much to Tracey's shock. Then winking at Harry she made it obvious he was to send her back.

Which he did with a wave of his hand and a laugh.

-#-

Tracey waited with bated breath and her body aching. Seeing him working Hermione had been hot, but what she really needed right at that moment was for him to work her. There hadn't been quite enough action to get her off, but it was hot all the same. The fact that Hermione apparently knew actually turned her on quite a bit she had to admit. Though she would be interested in knowing how she knew. She was a little worried that Harry would be mad at her. In truth this wasn't her fault. She had only just managed to hide when the call came through. She certainly hadn't had time to get herself sorted enough to go back to her dorm.

Harry walked into her little den of sin and looked at her steadily.

"I was already here" she said, "I couldn't get out in time... Sorry."

Harry's lips quivered, he was obviously trying not to smile, or laugh. "So you thought you might as well enjoy the show."

She smiled at him unrepentantly.

"As it turns out, Hermione didn't mind... She was quite far from minding in fact."

"How did she know I was here?"

"I hide nothing from Hermione. Still, I did find out that the Oath we made was flawed. For which I find myself needing to apologise to you for."

"Why?"

"Because it didn't affect me... I'd warn you though that it probably still affects you."

Tracey nodded at him. "Is this something to do with how special you are?"

"I'm special?" Harry asked casually.

Tracey smiled, "Oh yes, that much is certain."

"Probably" he told her, "At some point I will give you full disclosure... Oddly enough I feel I can trust you and more importantly in a way... I sort of owe you."

Tracey sat back in her chair, one leg crossing over the other. "So Hermione... liked me watching?"

"Yes"

"I liked it when I realised she knew" Tracey admitted. She didn't blush; Harry liked that about her. Everything was just 'there' with Tracey. She didn't feel embarrassment, she was just in the moment and Harry liked that a lot. The fact she was steaming hot didn't hurt either.

Harry sat on the arm of the chair she was sat on. Looking out over the room Tracey had been watching, namely the living room, his eyes were dark and thoughtful.

"What is it?" Tracey asked. She enjoyed that he was comfortable with her, and it didn't hurt that he was steaming hot either.

"I dunno" Harry admitted, "Something in the air. Something is changing, no, charging really."

"Well, I've heard Animagi are more sensitive to such things."

"I'll help you with your form" Harry said, picking up on the frustration in her voice. Tracey, as it turned out, was an Eagle. Which Harry thought would be dead useful to her if she needed to escape. That said, she was one of the few that were having serious trouble controlling their magic. She had yet to manifest it like most of the class had. It was, pretty much a foregone conclusion, after that point that she would be able to turn. The student had to get that far first though, which was largely up to them. That said, he and Tracey were intimate, he had a much more powerful link with her than other students. He could use that closeness to her advantage.

"Thank you... I'd appreciate that." Tracey said.

"You and I... We're more than a deal Tracey... We're friends, remember that" Harry told her, "So of course I'll help you in any way I can..."

"Kiss me" she said suddenly, looking a bit surprised that she had.

Harry smiled and did just that.

They broke apart and Tracey was looking a bit shocked. Harry smirked at her, "What? Did you think I didn't care about you? That it was just a sexual deal or something? Or was it that you're a Slytheryn and I'm a Griff? That stuff doesn't matter to me. I like you Tracey; I like you a lot. So don't be surprised that a) I'm not angry, and b) that I care enough to put some emotion into kissing you. Now, if you want a hot steamy lust filled kiss next, I'm all for it-mmmh."

Tracey broke of the exceedingly hot kiss and smiled at Harry, "I like the emotion" she admitted, "I wasn't expecting it no. I appreciate it though..." she smiled an oddly coy smile. She appeared to be mulling something over. Then finally she straightened her shoulders and looked at him, "You missed this, which is good for me and shame on the rest" she said.

Harry just sort of smiled, "Huh?"

"It's Halloween next Saturday." She said.

Harry nodded, "Yep"

"This evening Professor Dumbledore made an announcement. It's a celebration of new spaces being found or something I wasn't taking much notice... but I did get this. We're having a party. 5th years and above are invited. Nothing amazing, it's just a party with a dance floor and all that jazz. Thing is, its Sadie Hawkins... I well, my family, have a lot of dealings with Muggles, so I knew what that was."

"Okay..."

"I asked Daph, but now I'm asking you as well. Will you go with Daph and me?"

Harry blinked, "won't she mind?"

Tracey laughed a wonderful throaty sound it was too. "No, I promise she won't mind."

"It's a little unconventional" Harry said with a smile, "That said, I would be honoured. Aren't you worried about your ... housemates though?"

"I don't give a crap about what they think."

"I don't want you in any danger" Harry said.

Tracey smiled radiantly at him, "Which is why I want to go with you. Because you care and I can trust you."

"You can? Aren't I the one that accidentally, blabbed about our deal?"

"Then promised to make it up for me... If the oath was held, you shouldn't have been able to blab. So it was an accident, you didn't know it would happen. That means something to me, as odd as that may seem. The things you've said to me tonight Harry..." she smiled, "Meant a lot. I can think of no other man I would go with."

"Thank you... That means a lot to me."

"Anyway" Tracey began with a smirk; "it's not my house I have to worry about. When people find I got to you first it's the rest of the girls in school that will be out for my blood"

Harry laughed, "As I said, it's my honour to go with you, and Daphne, as long as you are sure she won't mind. She seems good and mad at me."

"That's because she is confused. This is another reason I'm doing this."

"Cunning"

"Of course."

Harry smiled, "Then Yes, Yes, Hell Yes"

Tracey laughed, "Now go... before I become weak and shag you... I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet."

Harry smiled. She had offered herself to him as part of the deal. He hadn't pushed though. He had sensed that she hadn't meant full sex and apparently he had been right. Sometimes it was good to be right. Other times, like now, it wasn't so much. As right then, Harry did indeed really want to have sex with her.

"Okay, I'll go... This time" he said with a seductive purr. Turning he went to walk out of the room, then paused and looked at her. "Tracey?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Does the name Bellatrix LeStrange mean anything to you?"

Tracey shook her raven locks, "no; sorry. Should it?"

"Apparently not" Harry said, looking bemused. "Oh, this party? Smart, casual, or what?"

"Oh" Tracey laughed. "It's a costume party. Muggle or Wizarding, your choice."

"Right" Harry said nodding and then smirked, "Oh this could actually be fun."

-#-

"Sarah!" A voice called her name.

Tonks turned. Being who and what she was, she had to get used to answering to names that weren't her own. It was confusing at times and she tended to turn at a shouted name no matter what that name was. Her face split into a smile, her form, blonde and perky, is how she would describe it, had a nice smile. Still it didn't appear to garner too much attention from her caller. Harry I'm hot as hell Potter himself.

"Hey Harry. I was worried about you" she said, getting up from her chair in the mostly empty common room. Which was no surprise, it was actually coming up on lights out now. Then she smiled, "Hey Harry, fancy going to a party with me?"

"Sorry Ton- Sarah, I've already got a date."

Her face creased in annoyance, "Damn. Well, in that case... Who and where have you been?"

"I've been around, had a little control problem. Due to my power levels it was agreed I duck out for a while. Albus was supposed to tell everyone. Anyway, can I ask you something? In private?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure" Tonks said, though she hadn't missed he had not told her who had asked him successfully to the Party. It was probably as well; she would be tempted to hex the lucky little bitch otherwise. 'You're with Bill, You're with Bill' she chanted to herself.

He took her to a private little nook and silenced the area. "Tonks... Who is the Top three most wanted?"

"Volde, VD, The Dark Lord. He's number one. Rudolphus LeStrange, number two. Peter Pettigrew is Number Three, MacNair is number Four currently, but that one swaps around a lot as they find more Death Eaters Identities."

Harry nodded, looking weirded out. "It amazes me that Malfoy never gets on that list" he noted wryly. "Okay, if I said Bellatrix LeStrange what would you say?"

"I'd say... what are you on about?"

"Hmmm."

"As far as I know, Rudolphus never got married. The only Bellatrix I know is my Aunty Bella..." she shrugged.

"Right and her history is?"

"You should know she's one of your friends isn't she?"

"Pretend I've been hit in the head"

"Have you?"

"No, but pretend I have."

"Well, that's random... Okay... Bellatrix Black, my mothers' sister, Narcissa Black's sister as well. Cousin to Sirius Black. She was kicked out because she was tight with Sirius; she lived with my mum for a while before striking out on her own. Then she and Sirius kept in touch and all that. She dipped out of the magical world for a while, or at least we lost contact with her. She's nice enough, but sharp, quite strict; otherwise nice. She came back when Sirius got out of Azkaban. You made friends with her via Sirius and you've been fairly close since. She had no kids of her own. Apparently doesn't like them much... Not much to tell... Oh, she apparently worked as a curse breaker for a while. Particularly good with dark curses. But other than that I'm dry... sorry"

"Right..." Harry said looking totally freaked out now.

"Is there a problem with Aunty Bella?"

Harry wasn't at all weirded out by the concern in Tonks's voice, no, not at all... much. "No, no she's fine."

"Is she still hidden away wherever it is you hid her?" Tonks asked.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, she is... How do you know about that?"

"It's my job"

"Talking of job... I need you to contact your boss, and I'm not talking Dumbledore... Come to think of it, how are you off work so much?"

Tonks smirked; "I'm working your Security detail in school. Just in case Vo...Vol...The Dark Lord tries something in school again."

"Sweet. And if you can't call him Voldemort try Dick Face, or my personal fav at the moment is Fuck Face." Harry said.

Tonks guffawed a laugh. "I'll remember that. So what's this you want me to contact Amelia Bones about?"

Harry handed her a piece of parchment, "I've been told that is a Death Eater Training Camp. Can I trust your boss to deal with it? Or do I have to do it myself"

"Director Bones is not Fudge... She'll get it done."

"I could do with talking to her at some point. Can you set that up as well"?

Tonks nodded, looking at the piece of paper seriously, "I'd better Floo over and deliver this myself."

"Isn't it a bit late?" Harry asked.

Tonks shook her head; "Director Bones works late... Thanks Harry... Do I want to know who told you this?"

"I have to protect my source."

Tonks smirked, "Catch ya later luv." She said dropping a kiss on his cheek and then dashing off.

Harry dropped the privacy spell and leaned back on the wall. What had he gone and done? It was like she was getting off Scot-free. That didn't feel right to him, not right at all. As shocking as his time with her had been he felt she had a debt to pay... But how to get her to pay that debt, that was the question? He would have to work on that.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Chapter Notes:

AN: No Horcruxes, I never did like them as a plot device.

Chapter Eighteen

Harry awoke the next day to an Adfero hitting him in the forehead. This was not the best way to wake up, especially since the message had been from Tonks. It took a highly organised mind to send an Adfero. It was, essentially a transmission of a thought, so it took organisation to make a clear message. Tonks was many things, but organised mentally she was not. Therefore, while he unbundled the message he sat up in bed. He had taken to sleeping in Slytherin's quarters of late. The hassle with Ron and other factors meant that it was just easier and more relaxing to sleep somewhere out of the way.

He looked around the main bedroom with a slight smile on his face. There was more in the message than Tonks had meant he was sure. A little emotional content was a side effect of her lack of mental discipline. She had a wonderfully visual mind as well. This was doubtless a side effect of her talent. Self-transfiguration or her Metamorph ability took that clarity of vision to work properly. Still, it was a shame that due to a promise he could not take her up on her accidental offer. She was also with Bill and obviously a bit confused about that fact. It was obvious that she did 'like him' that way; she also liked Bill that way. It was confusing the Metamorph somewhat.

Either way, he had to get his arse out of bed and go meet her in her Sarah form straight away. Her message, while not clear, had been quite urgent. He jumped out of bed, quickly dressing casually and then he took to his heels running out of his quarters like a shot.

As soon as he was out of his quarters, he reached into his pocket and enlarged his skateboard. Then he dropped it to the floor, jumped on it and was away. Wandless banishers to the back of the board sped him to a break neck speed and all told, he reached the Great Hall in record time.

Tonks, as Sarah, was already standing waiting for him.

"What's up T…? Sarah?" Harry asked, hitting the back of his board so he came to a stop just in front of her.

"Director Bones has asked me to request your presence today," Tonks told him with a slight smile.

Harry half frowned at her, "Why?" He asked.

"It is in the interests of co-operation later on. She talked to Professor Dumbledore who assured her that you are more than capable. She also asked me, and well I said you were rubbish but she didn't listen to me," Tonks said. The least part said with a giant grin on her face.

Harry smiled at her; "this should be interesting," he noted wryly. "So when is the mission set for?"

"Now, I did try to find you earlier but you were nowhere to be found Luv. It's kind of hard to protect you, or just keep an eye on you, when I can't find you."

Harry shrugged that off and smirked at her, "I don't need protection Sarah and I don't need to be watched either."

Tonks stuck her tongue out at him with a laugh. "Either way, we're off, right now. I have a port key for the assembly point. So just let me know when you're ready?"

Harry nodded at her, so Tonks passed him a length of string and then triggered the Port key and with that, they were off with a slight pop of magic.

-xXx-

The Assembly point turned out to be a small clearing to the west of their final location. As soon as Harry arrived, he frowned and looked around him. There were about two dozen Aurors around the place, which was fine. Director Bones and Senior Auror Moody were both in attendance, and that was fine by Harry. What was not fine, to Harry, was the almost palpable feeling of something in the air. It was the same feeling he had been feeling since the night before. A sense of something building in the air, it was an almost electrical feel of magic.

"You all right Luv?" Tonks asked, eyeing him carefully.

"Hmmm" Harry said, looking around still in a slightly distracted manner.

"What is it?" Tonks asked him.

"I dunno." He admitted, "Just a feeling."

"A bad feeling?"

"No, actually very much not a bad feeling... It is just a sense of something big about to happen." Harry said, obviously thinking as he talked.

Tonks nodded her agreement, "It's always like this before a big Op" she told him, then took his arm at the elbow. "Come on. Come meet my boss." She said with an impish smile. As she walked, she turned into her more normal Tonks look including bright Pink Hair. Which Harry thought more than slightly amusing, where they not supposed to be under the radar? Of course, for Wizards it was likely not something, people would really notice as being out of the ordinary.

"Director Bones" Tonks called out as they approached her boss and Moody.

The two high up Aurors looked over at the call, Moody making a gruff sound of amusement and Director Bones showing them a welcoming smile. "Welcome Mr Potter." The Director for the DMLE said with little preamble. "I am glad you could make it this morning."

Harry smiled charmingly at her; "it's a pleasure to meet you properly Director Bones." He said by way of a greeting. He then nodded his greeting to Moody. The 'professor' was not the sort to stand on ceremony after all.

"I'm glad you could come. I should imagine you are wondering why I invited you." Director Bones said with a half smile on her face.

"I am a little curious. Tonks here said it was in the interest of future Co-Operation. I'm surprised to hear that you would want to co-operate with me to be honest." Harry said with a smile to remove much of the sting from his blunt statement.

"I can see why you would think that. The fact of the matter is that I know if we are to defeat The Dark Lord in the future that it will be you that does so."

Harry looked at her a little warily. "What makes you think that Director?" He asked carefully.

"All the clues lead to it Mr Potter. You have faced him many times and survived. This is much more than most can say. You have ALWAYS been in place to stop his larger attempts, and I suspect you always will be. I think magic itself has pitted you two against each other. I would like to offer you something you should've been offered long before now."

"What is that Director?" Harry asked curiosity alive on his face.

"I am offering you our training and our help." The Director said with a slight smile, "I want you to see that we are trained to do this work, which is why I have invited you today. I want you to stay with Auror Moody and myself. However, I would ask you not to fight any more than you have to. This is ... a show, if you like, to prove we know what we are doing."

Harry nodded thinking hard. "I appreciate this more than I can say director." He told her. It was obvious why the Headmaster had allowed him to come now that he knew the specifics. "I gratefully accept your offer." He added with a smile. The truth was, all he had to do was reach out and tap Moody and the director and he would have all the knowledge he needed. Due to the peculiarities of his 'skill', a little training would be all he needed. None of which even mentioned that he already had a great deal of fight training and spell work in his head already. He did, appreciate that someone in the magical world at least appeared to be able to follow a logical trail of thought and realise his place in all of this.

Tonks was beaming beside him, almost jumping on the spot with glee. He was not entirely sure why, but he suspected that she would be one of those that trained him. Almost casually, he brushed against Director Bones's and Moody's minds. He should not go stealing knowledge it was true. That said, however, it really did cut some nice corners if he did cheat and do a mind dump. It would take a while to integrate of course, but that was the point of his meditations. Meditations he would now have to spend at least a few days on. There was a lot of information buffered in his mind lately.

All around them, the Aurors were getting ready. They were checking their equipment and warming up their magic a little using some small spells. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as they geared up for the mission.

"So, what do we know?" He asked.

Moody smiled slightly, "It's like this..." he said and began to lay out the plans and mission parameters for Harry. This he performed in a clear and concise way that Harry appreciated and it covered every aspect of the mission. Once he had finished he looked at Harry with a slightly questioning look.

Harry smiled at him, "I think you have most of the bases covered Professor. You don't have a plan for any of the inner circle turning up, what if they do? Why is that?"

"This is a minor training facility Boy. The low level Death Eaters will be here, the teachers are likely small fry. We will get them and it will dent Voldemort's plans nicely. I doubt the Inner Circle is here though."

Harry frowned slightly, "Hmmm"

"You have something to say boy?" Moody asked gruffly. The gruffness was not rude it was just his way.

"I'm not sure," Harry admitted. "It just doesn't feel like a simple mission."

"We're all like that first time," Moody said. "Even I was like that once." He said with a smirk.

Harry smiled, but made a mental note to keep an eye out for the Inner Circle. The air was charged and too alive with potential for his liking.

Harry then took a back seat in the gearing up. He watched and he learned, while he did that he also scanned through what he had just downloaded and tried to integrate as much and as quickly as he could. Overall, it took the operation about half an hour to get to the ready stage.

"Put this on" Moody said passing Harry a set of Dragon Hide robes.

Harry smiled his thanks and put on the heavy items of clothing. In truth, he doubted he would require such protection, but it showed they were thinking about his safety. That was a nice change, to have someone care about that.

Once he had dressed himself in the magical protective gear Moody placed Harry at his side. It was up to Moody to protect both Harry and Director Bones. Normally neither would be along for such a small Op, though for obvious reasons the Director wanted to watch Harry in a combat situation.

The squad then moved out of the small clearing they were in and moved towards the Training Facility. The Aurors were moving with professional and energy saving movements that Harry thought was an interesting sign of their training. If he had to guess, he would say these were some of the Directors finest. It was obvious that she was putting on a bit of a show for Harry.

Harry watched the squad moving towards their ultimate goal as he hung back with the director. The Director herself was watching Harry more than her Aurors. She did know, after all, they were up to the task. She was really testing Harry with this exercise.

Harry noticed her watching him and smiled at her, his eyes going straight back to where the action would be. "No… Wait… There's a ward" he began to say; only it was too late. The lead Auror had already crossed the invisible line of magic, visible only to Harry thanks to what he was.

A loud clanging alarm went off, obviously designed to warn of intruders and then all hell broke loose.

-xXx-

Director Bones flinched as another bright green curse flew in her direction. Somehow, and she still was not sure how the curse was stopped dead. An explosion of granite and the most feared curse in all of history became negated completely. She was almost amused actually. She had wanted to train Harry, and frankly, he was training her at that moment in time. Moody had been separated away from them and the rest of her Aurors were more than a little busy. Which left Harry as her security detail, which was the opposite of the way things should be going?

Harry half turned to her, tossing her a wink as he returned fire with a blistering array of spells. She had to admit, she was more than a little impressed with the breadth of his knowledge of both offensive and defensive spells. She was no slouch herself of course and was sending quite a few spells as well. They were ducked behind a wall at that moment, with Harry poking his head over it and sending a hail of curses towards the small knot of Death Eaters in their way.

All of their intelligence had said this was a small and unimportant training facility and that appeared to be incorrect. There was a worryingly large amount of Death Eaters in the area and a fair few of them fought well.

Director Bones spared a glance to her supposed charge and smiled slightly. He was marvellous she had to admit. He was both good looking and courageous and if she were a little younger she would be chasing him herself. His face was a mask of concentration as he chained together some nasty spells, casting in a flash and causing several cries of pain in the Death Eater encampment.

She was really going to chastise Hastings for this. If that prat had not tripped the alarm this would already be over. Since the Death Eaters had gained the advantage of knowing they were coming, they had mustered quite a good defence. A worryingly good defence in fact. It was much easier to think of Death Eaters as barely trained racist idiots. It was unfortunately not the way things were. The Dark Lord liked his troops well groomed for Battle, so they were.

Harry conjured another granite wall in front of them as a hail of Killing Curses fell down on their position. The hall shuddered then exploded apart, just as the others had done. The point was, the curses had indeed been stopped and they were still alive.

It was said that an AK could not be shielded against. Apparently, many people forgot that it could be shielded with a solid object. This was exactly what Harry was doing. Amelia Bones knew this, but she had not expected Harry too, nor had she expected him to have the talent to conjure such a solid object. Many Wizards could not, which is why it was not such a widely held knowledge. Of course, many of her Aurors could. They had been chosen for their abilities and power of course. She had just not expected a student, even one as old as Harry, to be able to do it. He would be truly awesome after she had finished with him, if she had her way.

Harry then stood up, which caused Amelia to make a grab for him. He dodged her and sent of a few especially nasty chains that cooked the Death Eaters. One, a fire spell, literally cooked them. This caused them to jump up at which point Harry obliterated them with some well-placed casting.

Amelia looked at Harry with more than a little surprise. For one thing, he had an aura, a visible aura of power crackling around him. Secondly, he looked angry at that moment as well.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"He's here!" Harry hissed his voice angry and deadly.

"Who?" Director Bones asked, as if she did not know. There was only one person she could think of that got that sort of reaction.

"Fuck Face" Harry replied, confusing her greatly, until she remembered what Tonks had told her in her report. Amelia had to admit, it was about right a name for the bastard.

"I will call a retreat," Amelia said, turning to do just that.

"No" Harry said, "I'm going in."

"No, Harry- You Can't"

Harry ignored her plea though and started walking towards where he could sense the evil stench of Voldemort.

Suddenly he stopped and looked back at her. "Director Bones- I need you to deputise me." He said which surprised her quite a bit.

"Why would you want me to do that?" she asked, her eyes flitting around and looking for Death Eaters. Luckily, they were cleared out of the immediate area.

"Because if I have to kill someone, I don't want Minister Fudge sending me to Azkaban. If you-"

"-I understand Harry. Harry James Potter I hear by Deputise you to the position of Auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We will sort out the paper work later- Harry, I'm coming with you, but I want you to be careful."

Harry nodded and smiled his thanks to her, then squared his shoulders. He then carried on walking with Director Bones coming up behind him guarding his back. This, now that he came to think of it, was a good thing. If things came to a head, he would have a witness of amazing qualifications.

The battleground was clear ahead, but Harry remained alert and watchful. He had no wish to be felled by a stray curse, or worse get Director Bones killed. He had a feeling that Susan would hex the shit out of him if anything happened to her Aunty.

He dodged to the left a little as a stray curse came at him. His hand flashing out and with a shield humming on its surface he deflected the curse off to the side, and well away from the Director or himself.

A few spells shot back in that direction and he was once more on his way, looking for his 'nemesis'.

-xXx-

Voldemort smiled thinly, as if he could do anything but. This was marvellous; the Ministry had attacked one of his training areas and apparently had no idea what they were taking on. He liked it when they were idiotic; it made his life so much easier. His wand lifted and a silent killing curse spurted from its end. Another life blinked out of existence and he smiled again. He loved the mayhem and the death that spread around him. The Aurors were scared of him, as was his due. This meant that they did not react properly or nearly quick enough. That suited him just fine as it meant he was able to get off a curse before they got over their fear and attacked him. It was by that method that he had fought his way into the large clearing at the centre of his training facility.

This was where the main fight raged and he did so love to fight. His wand came up to dispense some more death when a voice suddenly stilled his action.

"Hey there Fuck Face."

Voldemort turned towards the source of the voice. It had been a familiar voice. His lips stretched as far as they could into a fully-fledged smile. "My dear Harry, what are you doing here?" he asked, looking almost jovial.

"I came for some fun- Looks like I found some." Harry said his eyes intent and deadly.

"I have missed you Harry. Such marvellous mental shielding you have now, it is a shame we cannot have our chats anymore."

Harry shrugged, noticing that the fighting was dying off around them as the two talked to each other. Death Eaters and Aurors alike were watching the spectacle of The Boy-Who-Lived and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named standing and talking together. It was almost laughable how bad Wizards were at real combat. Much like show business, no matter what, the show must go on after all.

Voldemort whipped his wand around him in a fluid movement that sent all nearby fighters flying away from Harry and himself. He wanted to squash the brat himself with no outside influences.

Harry smiled, pocketing his wand casually. This caused Voldemort a moment of confusion. Harry noticed this and said, "I don't need a wand for dealing with you Tommy boy"

Voldemort growled, "Arrogant little sod." He said with eyes glowing with anger.

Harry nodded, and shrugged, "Well- It's not really arrogance if you really are that good Tommy. But then, you wouldn't know about that would you?"

Voldemort's wand flicked at Harry and a nasty purple curse winged its way at the young man. Harry swerved to the side, not bothering to block, just letting it slide past him. "Is that the best you can do old man?" he asked with a nasty smile.

Voldemort snarled and unleashed himself, sending a hail of curses at Harry. Harry in return dived forward under most of the curses. Just as it looked like one would hit him, his form shifted. Then a black jaguar jumped at Voldemort causing the evil Dark Lord to back away. Harry swiped with his paw, sending a gash down one of the Dark Lords arms and then showed him what a real snarl was. Long white, flashing teeth and a terrifying roar followed.

Voldemort backed away quickly. However, his lips stretched in a horrible parody of a smile. This caused Harry a moment of pause.

"I had heard you found your form." Voldemort said in an almost conversational tone. "I'm so glad, that this will be a more personal fight." He said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a potion vial. He uncorked it with his teeth and then chugged it in one long go.

Magical power crackled around him as he said, "This body has many advantages Harry- Which includes its own form." He said and began to grow and change at the same time.

By this point, the fighting had stopped completely as those nearby stopped to watch the upcoming battle.

Harry walked backwards, his tail twitching from side to side with nervous tension. His green eyes glued to Voldemort as the evil man changed. One would think that he would be a snake, with a body like that. One would be very, very wrong about that.

Like Harry, he had a feline form; a massive beast appeared in Voldemort's place. Throwing back its head and letting out a deafening roar. The potion had obviously been a growth potion meaning he was a good five times bigger than he should be. Considering his form, that was a scary prospect.

A giant Nundu stopped in place, growling softly. Then shockingly its mouth moved in an almost human way, "Prepare to die Potter" Voldemort growled. His forms voice was oddly rich and deep.

Harry chuffed out a laugh, unable to speak in his feline form he changed back to his human one. "Typical… You just had to be one of the deadliest creatures on the face of the planet didn't you? Then, you had to go up the stakes even higher."

Voldemort walked back and forth, somewhat like a caged tiger. His body language aggressive and screaming that he wanted to attack. In looks, he was not too far off of a cheetah, with slightly different markings but the colour was comparable. His size and power though was obviously much more than a cheetah's could be on its best day. In a normal state, a Nundu was a deadly creature. In this extra large form, it was even more deadly.

Voldemort stopped pacing, the muscles on his body tensing as he prepared to jump. Harry saw this and as Voldemort charged, he switched back to his form and dived off to the side. He could not get too close, Nundus had breath that was as deadly, if not more so, than their jaws or claws. He skittered across the pavement like surface, his claws leaving a mark he had jumped so hard.

Voldemort stilled his forward momentum and turned to Harry with a smile on his feline features.

Harry changed again, flowing up into a human form. Worryingly enough, for Voldemort, there was a smile on his face. "You picked a mythical creature, the most feared for many reasons." He said, walking sidewise and keeping his front to the circling Voldemort. "You have no idea what you're dealing with Tommy," Harry said.

Voldemort jumped at him in a flash. Harry jumped upwards and did a neat summersault over the Nundu form of his enemy. Then he flattened out his body and began to change himself.

Voldemort span around with the full grace of his enlarged form, and then stopped dead.

Harry titled his head at Voldemort, and smiled. On his draconian form, that was a truly terrifying sight. "Your time has come Tommy." He said. His dragons' voice was richer, deep, and above all loud. The windows of the nearby construct shivered with its volume.

"Impressive" Voldemort grudgingly admitted.

The two stared at each other, and then by some unseen signal jumped at each other at the same time.

There was a tremendous clash of sound as they roared at the same time as well. Teeth, claws, and in Harry's case, talons ripped at each other. This was the battle, the final contest in their 6-year long competition to see who came out on top.

Blood flew, fur flew and the sounds of their epic struggle travelled out around the surrounding area.

Voldemort ripped into one of Harry's wings with his teeth. This tore it all down the tender membrane that made up the leathery surface of it. Harry flung his head back and roared his anger at the move. In this form, he was not so much Harry Potter as A Black. The black was the royalty of Dragons everywhere, almost a god amongst his kin. The sound tore through the area as an almost physical force stunning Voldemort enough that Harry was able to shake him off. Dragons' blood flew around the fighters in a spray that created a magical field. That magical field became solid as the blood landed in an arc around the two fighters. It was a ward of sorts, springing up around them. A less than intelligent Death Eater reached out and touched the blood red bubble that had formed. His death screams did not even draw a glance.

The feel of magic was thick in the air now; the smell of blood was rich and heavily mixed into that.

Voldemort rolled back on to his feet, wincing from where he had been tossed straight into a brick wall. He growled his defiance, his hackles rising as he prepared to go back into the fight.

The Black turned to him, glowing green eyes surveying him with righteous anger. Then the dragons' maw opened. Voldemort had just enough time to see the ignition flames and thus dive to the side, as a blast of super heated flame melted the floor where he had stood.

Then he was on the run as the Black turned and sent another ball of fire at him. This caused Voldemort to end up with a seriously singed tail. Tracking Voldemort now by the smoke coming from his tail the Black prepared to end the mites' existence. He reared up, huge chest filling with air. His head choosing the direction and then mouth opening. A bright white flame was sent in front of Voldemort was due to land.

Voldemort's eyes shot open, the heat sizzled and cooked the air in front of him. He twisted his body violently to the side. He even managed, through feline grace, to miss landing where the fire was aimed at. It clipped him thought and with heat at those levels, that was more than enough. One leg burned away in its entirety, the wound cauterised instantly, his fur stripped off by the hot air and he slammed hard into the floor. A floor that was already starting to melt from the heat of the flame directed nearby. He slid in the melted tarmac like substance coming to a stop a few feet away. He was scorched, but otherwise alive.

The Black took a step forward, the ground jumping with that step. Then another and a giant thud to go with it. Then he was looking down at Voldemort with contempt. "You dare fight me?" he asked, or Harry asked. At that point, it was hard to tell where the dragon ended and Harry began. "You think you will win?"

Voldemort tried to raise his head, but found the tarmac was drying around him. Meaning he was finding it increasingly difficult to move. Which was further complicated when The Black slammed one of his hind legs down on Voldemort's form. There was a horrendous crunch as most of Voldemort's ribs were broken.

Emerald fire like eyes bore into Voldemort, spearing into his conscious and sub conscious mind. The small part of Voldemort suddenly remembered why man was afraid of Dragons. A cold hard consciousness invaded his own, tearing apart his shielding like tissue paper. What the Black was looking for Voldemort had no idea, but it would find it no matter what he did.

Harry reared back, a sort of smile on his draconian face. "So that's how you did it," he said. With one of his smaller forearms, he cast a spell and looked at the lines of colour coming from Voldemort. "It's the Dark Mark," he said. His good wing extended with a sound like a bat wing opening, only sped up into a virtual explosion of sound. Then he angled his body around in a slicing motion so his wing cut through each line. Voldemort roared his scream, turning back into his 'human' form in shock.

"What are you?" Voldemort said in what was his version of a scared voice. His eyes wide with shock at what The Black had just done.

Harry reared back to face Voldemort, one ruined and one whole wing snapping out to full extension. His head flung back as he roared, then Voldemort screamed. Sharp jaws snapped down onto his body, grabbing his head.

A horrible tearing sound and a jerk, then Voldemort was no more. A geyser of dark magic shot straight up in the air topping off at about one hundred feet before suddenly disappearing after only a few moments.

Swallowing The Black beat its wings, sending blood flying everywhere and then let loose with a giant flame that reached nearly as far up roaring his victory as he did so.

Then; there was a long drawn out silence.

Suddenly there was a backwards rushing noise and Harry appeared in the Blacks place; dropping to his hands and knees, he emptied the contents of his stomach repeatedly. AS he did that, the blood coloured shield began to fade away.

-xXx-

Harry looked at the bucket in front of him, he needed it and occasional heaves were still hitting him even now. Around him was an organised chaos as the Aurors rounded up the various trainee and instructor Death Eaters present.

"You were right about one thing Professor," Harry said, attracting Moody's attention.

"What would that be lad?" Moody said with a sigh, "That was a total fluster fuck" he noted.

"The Inner Circle wasn't here," Harry said, laughing then heaving into the bucket again.

Moody chuckled and shook his head, "No; I suppose they weren't lad."

Director Bones smiled slightly to herself. For one, she was not sued to anyone treated Moody like that, though it was fun to see. For another thing, she had just witnessed the end of the worst Dark Lord in centuries. That was something worthy of note to her. The fact that a bloody teenager had been the one to take him down was just amazing. She had never thought when she had decided to train him that this would happen so soon. Who could she realise that? Of course, she could not.

Minister Fudge suddenly exploded into the area and headed straight for Harry. "Now look here Mr Potter, you've done it this time."

Harry looked up into the flustered Ministers eyes. Waiting for him to make a mistake he could use against the pompous arse.

"What mistake is that Minister?" Director Bones asked.

"He just killed someone, several people by all accounts." Fudge said drawing himself up to his less than impressive height.

Harry smirked, "Going to send me to Azkaban for killing Death eaters?" he asked mildly.

"That has yet to be proven… Director Bones I demand you take this- this- young man in for questioning."

Harry met Fudges eyes. Since after a change he was more The Black than he was Harry he did something Harry would never do. He invaded the little worms mind and grabbed a hold with a metal mental fist. Fudge stopped sputtering immediately.

"You don't want her to do that," Harry said.

"I don't want you to do that Director!" Fudge said.

"I was obviously working for the Ministry to remove the blight from our culture," Harry said.

"It's obvious to me that Harry was working with us to remove The Dark Lord Thingy."

Harry smirked, "These are not the droids you are looking for"

"These aren't the droids I'm looking for!"

"You should go do a press release now."

"I will go and prepare a press release!" Fudge said looking a little spaced out. He then left as quickly as he had arrived.

Director Bones glared at Harry, "Don't ever do that to me!" she said, then laughed aloud, her head thrown back as she released her tension.

-xXx-

Hermione looked around as a flurry of owls dive-bombed the breakfast table. Just about, everyone was suddenly getting an owl, even her.

A copy of the Daily Prophet landed on her empty plate with a thud. With a half frown, she picked it up and began to read.

[  
VOLDEMORT SLAIN!  
Minister Fudge says…. These are not the droids we're looking for!

Hermione blinked and put the paper back down again, trying not to laugh. She did so love Harry's pranks. However, she did wonder how he had gotten the Daily Prophet involved.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Harry was weary, and all around him was ablaze with people running around. He was now sat in the Ministry and had, thankfully, stopped being sick. He was sure he still had Voldemort breath though. He smacked his lips with a look of utter disgust on his face. Beside him, Amelia Bones smirked and reached into her robes. She extracted a packet of Muggle mints, of all things, and handed them to him.

He smiled at her warmly and immediately popped one in his mouth. She and Moody were the only ones that knew exactly what had happened. An obliviation team had been called in and the exact details of how Harry had defeated Voldemort were hidden away. This was at Harry's request, he knew he could not get away from the extra fame he was sure to pick up, and there was just no way around that. That said; he did want to keep a few things a little closer to his chest. The ability to transform into a dragon being one such item. Luckily Director Bones and Senior Auror Moody had agreed with him since everyone knew that there had been no dragon Animagi for a very long time and what one entailed to a certain degree. The minister had no idea of the exact details of Voldemort's demise, swallowing their invented story easily enough, especially since Harry had made sure he did. That new aspect to his mental magic was a little disturbing but it was more of a Black thing, Black as in the type of dragon, than something he had control over. He suspected that he would not be able to do it normally, but since he had just recently changed back, the ability had been with him.

Now he was dealing with Fudge's circus of press and peerage flooding around the place and making all sorts of demands on his time and attention. He was aware that a special edition of the Prophet had already gone out. Luckily, for him it had concentrated more on the Aurors than it had him. He had of course had quite a big mention but for the most part, he was glad that Minister Fudge was taking credit for the operation and the defeat of Voldemort himself.

Frankly, he just wanted to head somewhere quiet for a while and hope it all went away, he just knew he did not have that luxury. He let out another sigh as more commotion exploded from the press conference in front of him knowing that he was going to have to get up there soon and give his carefully prepared speech. Of course, Harry had not been the one to write the speech, he had approved it though. He was not about to praise Fudge while ignoring the help of the Aurors or anyone else quite frankly.

Fudge turned to him with an expectant smile and apparently he had missed being called up to deliver his speech. Harry glanced at Director Bones who gave him an encouraging smile, then got up, and squared his shoulders.

He hoped this would not take too long and he could get back on with his life.

-#-

Hermione looked at the man that had just walked into the great hall in shock. She had not seen him for the last three days as he had been out of school and doing the rounds of interviews and a host of other things. He looked tired, that was the first thing that hit her, that and fed up. Her lips twitched into a smile, any other man would be lapping up the attention by now but not Harry, he was fed up with it.

She had been the first to notice his arrival, she had a bit of a Harry sense these days, but she was not the only one. The great hall became silent, the noises of breakfast being eating having stopped and all conversation petering off quickly.

Harry looked out at the expectant faces, wondering which way they would jump and how they felt. Most seemed to look relieved even on the Slytherin table, oddly even Draco was looking oddly relieved about Voldemort's death, though he was shooting Harry a glare still.

Hermione, Harry noted, looked like she wanted to kiss him. That at least was something he would like to do. In fact, all his female companions looked to be having similar thoughts, which was good. He had been slightly worried they would be angry with him. Of course, he had yet to check in with Cissy or Fleur it was likely they would kick his arse for what he had done. Not that he had killed Voldemort, but because it had been so spur of the moment and now, he looked back on it, rather rash.

Professor Dumbledore looked at him steadily and then got to his feet. His hands came in front of his body and he began to clap.

He was alone for a moment, and then the rest of the head table got up and began to clap as well. The rest of the great hall then stood up and began to applaud. The sound was thunderous and hit Harry like a physical force making him back up a step and he looked very surprised. 'Ye gods even Draco is applauding' Harry thought, though he suspected that it was mostly so he was not on the outs with the rest of his house and not because he actually wanted to applaud Harry at all.

Then the entire school moved towards him, making Harry back up another step thinking for a weird moment that they were about to attack him. Instead of that, he found himself hugged, kissed, his hand shaken and generally thanked and congratulated by his peers. It meant far more to him than the Order of Merlin that was nestled in his backpack. His smile grew and was genuine at the very real feeling of gratitude he got off of nearly everyone that came up to him.

It was a long drawn out moment before he started getting to people that he knew. First up was Ron, who shook his hand, then pulled him in for a hug slapping him on the back with words of thanks and congratulations for him. It was not forced, but it was reserved which showed that he and Ron had a way to go before they could call each other mate again. Lavender actually kissed him, on the cheek thank god, but Ron did glare at him some and Lavender for doing it. Quite a few kisses were had by him from several of his girls and he liked that more than a little bit. Even those not yet his girls, like Daphne who had been quite enthusiastic with her kiss. Ginny had snogged him, but he had expected that, she did not make it last long and thankfully kept her tongue to herself. Especially since Ron was still waiting by the wings and watching carefully. Oddly Ginny was succeeding in her quest, because Harry did not think of her as a sister, he was not actually sure how to classify her yet.

Finally, it was Hermione and she was not backwards in coming forwards in her kiss, and he returned it gladly which got her a few jealous looks but he did not care. Hermione was special to him and he was not shy about people knowing that, especially now that Voldemort was gone.

Finally, the teachers got their turn with him, Capelle once again kissed him on the mouth, which shocked the shit out of him, and he did not have time to return it in any way before Snape was shaking his hand. He died however paused long enough to whisper, "She's mine" in Harry's ear before backing off with a smirk. McGonagall hugged him firmly, Trelawney kissed both cheeks, Vector damn near snogged him. Not that he minded that last one in the least, she was strict and she was horrendous with homework, but she was hot. Sprout promised him a plant of some kind, but Harry did not hear what. He did wonder if she had the same- liking of plants as Helga had and that thought worried him a bit. Slughorn made a great fuss and show of him, as if he was claiming Harry and frankly Harry did not much like that. Hagrid damn near crushed him in a hug exclaiming that he had always known that Harry would be special. That touched Harry quite a bit, in many ways the half giant was Harry's first friend. Then finally, after the procession had finished Professor Dumbledore stood before him.

There was a feeling of something to come in the air and the students and professors alike backed away. The elderly professor looked at Harry steadily, then very slowly and deeply bowed to him with great aplomb.

Harry returned the bow as formally as he was able. He and Dumbledore now shared something else, namely an Order of Merlin and the fact they had both taken down a Dark Lord in their time. A special bond would doubtless make very little difference to the way they acted around each other. They were already close and had become more so that year. After the bow was finished Dumbledore offered his hand, which Harry took by grasping the elder mans forearm. The handclasp of a warrior, for that was what they both were in their own ways. Harry may not have liked some of the things that Dumbledore had done, especially some of the ones that pertained to Harry, but he did respect him.

They broke off and then grinned at each other. Because that was something else they shared, an irrepressible sense of humour and lightness to their hearts.

The impromptu gathering disbursed slowly and naturally as everyone went back to their meals, but Dumbledore managed to keep Harry away from his table and instead dragged him up to the staff table.

"Do not look so shocked Harry, you are allowed to sit up here given your status. Besides, I was rather hoping for some description of the battle."

Harry smiled, sitting in the conjured chair beside the headmaster himself, "There's not much to tell."

"I doubt that Harry, I also doubt the reports I have read give justice to the actual events of three days hence."

Harry smirked, "No I rather suppose they don't, what have you read exactly?"

"They merely said that in a large battle you laid the killing stroke upon Voldemort that all the Aurors available were helping with the fight including Director Bones."

"Well it is true all the Aurors were there sir." Harry told his headmaster, his voice low and for the elder mans ears alone. "I actually fought with Voldemort form to form. The bastard had managed to pick up a magical Animagus form."

"Dear lord, what was it, a Basilisk?"

"You'd think so wouldn't you," Harry said with a smile, "But no, it wasn't. It was actually Nundu; he also enlarged his form with a potion."

"Dear Lord, are you well Harry? I understand their breath carries many plagues in it and that they are virtually immune to magic."

"Luckily I managed to stay clear until I switched to my own Magical Form, who was quite immune to that breath. Not the bastards claws though, I actually need you, Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid to help me later. The bugger got in a really good shot to my wing, I think it will need some treatment, even in this form I feel the pain from it."

Dumbledore nodded, "I will arrange that shortly, I notice you have managed, amazingly enough, to keep your other form out of the papers."

"Well, there were no reporters, Death Eaters Obliviated and Aurors memories changed, so I'm okay there, only Director Bones and Moody know." Harry told him, "All things considered they agreed it was best to keep my involvement lower key than that. This way the Aurors get most of the credit and let's face it, they are due some of that lately."

Dumbledore nodded, "As with many police forces, they are much maligned and misunderstood but do a task none of us wish to."

"Exactly, Minister Fudge is also talking about increasing their budget." Harry smirked, "Well he is after a reporter asked about it. He sees it as good PR and he is not wrong there. Especially considering that they will need to be chasing down the remaining Death Eaters, especially the Inner circle."

Dumbledore nodded gravely, "Indeed Harry, and you; what are your plans now?"

"Finish my education, have fun- prank the shit out of the school, and leave." Harry told him impishly, "There is something I thought you may like to see," he said bringing out a vial with a silver thread in it.

"Marvellous!" Dumbledore said with a smile, "I will return the favour of course."

"I think I would like that sir." Harry admitted with a smile, "Now Hermione is just about to hop out of her seat, I think I should go and assure her that I am well. Perhaps you could arrange that medical treatment I mentioned for this afternoon?"

Dumbledore nodded with a smile on his face so Harry got up and bowed to the other members of staff and walked over to his usual seat.

Hermione grabbed on to his arm as soon as he was even slightly close and pulled him into his chair. She did not let go either, her eyes were liquid with worry and relief as well as a host of other emotions. She opened her mouth to speak, but Harry cut in before she could get a word out.

"I'm well, mostly, certainly nothing for you to be so worried about." Harry told her with a smile, "I did what I did because I was there and the opportunity presented itself. I know that we always thought it would be the three of us facing the bastard, but things became known that ruined that idea. I did what I had to do and honestly I am glad you were not in any danger."

Hermione closed her mouth and gave him a mild glare, "I'm not some sort of china doll Harry!"

"I know that, but I want to protect you nonetheless."

"You- You- Man!"

Harry smiled at her sexily, "That is true, and I am."

Hermione laughed and shook her head; suddenly she grabbed him into a tight hug, which he gladly returned.

Eventually she pulled back, and smiled, "That reminds me, I'm guessing you don't know- Would you -"

Harry put a hand on her lips, "If this is about the dance, don't be mad, but I already said yes to someone."

"I'm not mad," she said around his finger, "I have long since realized that jealousy would not only be useless but self destructive as well." She added once he had removed the digit.

Harry beamed at her happily, "You are wonderful I hope you realize that."

"So who are you taking?" Hermione said, "Or is that taking you?" She added impishly and with a smile to match her tone.

His eyes drifted across the hall to where Tracey sat looking at him, there was a slightly unreadable expression in her eyes and she mouthed to meet her later. He nodded slightly at her to show that he had understood and was glad to do it.

"Tracey or Daphne," Hermione asked with a smirk.

"Both actually," Harry said with a laugh.

"Most of the men in the school would kill for that, and most of the women would kill them for you."

"I will take that as a compliment I think," Harry decided aloud. "I would be very honored if you would save me a dance though."

"Oh, I think I can do that and maybe more." Hermione said her eyes twinkling.

Harry smiled at her with a matching expression on his face.

-#-

Well-wishers approached Harry for the rest of the day in various forms, some more pleasant than others:-

Harry exploded backwards onto the wall, he was in a rarely used section of the school, hiding away from everyone, and some had been nice to him. Well, in fact everyone had been nice to him that had bothered to come up to him again. This was new, and at the same time strangely familiar.

"I won't do this again for a long while I promise," A hauntingly familiar voice said, and as his eyesight settled down he saw Ginny mere inches away from him, "I hope one day that you will want me to start up again, for now- I want you to know a few things, No- Don't speak. We are safe no one is near and my brother will not be interrupting me this time. In my second year, I fell for Harry, not just Harry Potter, when you saved my life from Tom. You have now killed the monster that spawned the diary that ruined my earlier years and I have nothing to offer you except my thanks."

Harry opened his mouth, but she put a finger on his lips to silence him, "I know you don't think of me like a sister anymore and I thank Merlin for that. You are just having trouble admitting it to yourself that you find me sexually attractive. I can wait for that to sink in, in the meantime let me tell you something. The thought of you thinking of me that way makes me ill. I could never think of you as a brother, my brothers are all amazing people in their own ways- even Ron. However, they do not make my heart beat faster when I see them, you do. The last time we kissed before Ron ruined it all, I felt you respond even if it was slightly; as you started to the first time, I kissed you. You want to know how that made me feel Harry?" she asked, her voice charged and oddly erotic due to its low volume and heat. "I could've had an orgasm if you touched me somewhere sensitive at that moment. Your mouth fills my dreams and in those dreams, your dick fills my mouth. I WILL have you Harry- And do not think I do not know that you are shagging half the good-looking girls in school. I do not care and never will care. I am going to wait a year, then I'm legal and I'm coming for you again, I just wanted you to know that." Ginny told him, and then backed away from him.

Harry looked at her for a long moment, then reached out and pulled her in for a scorching kiss, one he initiated for a change. After a long moment and a very passionate kiss, he broke away, "Just to tide you over," he said, then walked calmly away from her.

Ginny watched him go a half smile on her face as she leaned back against the wall and fanned herself.

-#-

Another such occurrence happened about ten minutes later when Harry had made his way up to the more public sections of the school. This time he felt a hand grab his arm and yank. He turned to fight and saw Parvati looking at him steadily, half out of a classroom doorway and half into the corridor. It was, even to Harry, obvious that she wanted to talk to him. So he allowed himself to be pulled into the, thankfully, empty classroom and watched as Parvati en-spelled the door shut, locked and silenced.

"Hey Parvati," he said with a smile, when she virtually attacked him, sending him back into the wall. This was not like the kisses they had shared before; this one was much more primal, passionate and needy.

Her tongue worked into his mouth and toyed with his, flicking against the end. Then she pushed against him even harder flattening her curves against his body, one leg coming round and hooking up on his waist. His hand naturally fell so that he was holding her thigh and she moaned into his mouth, managing to make the kiss even more intense. Her hands were all over him, one ending up in his hair and holding him almost painfully tightly. He pushed her back slightly and she playfully nipped at one of his lips. Which caused him not to want to stop her and she came in again, her eyes passionate as she licked his bottom lip, then tilted her head to the side. Her lips trailed across the bottom of his face and then started to nip his neck, her tongue occasionally peeking out and tracing his neck. Frankly, he was hard already and getting harder. He pushed her back slightly, aiming for her lips and they met with a slight expiration of air, then their tongues entwined again. It was Harry's turn to explore, one hand still on her leg moved up more than would normally be decent, pushing up her school issue skirt almost to the waist on one side. His other hand went to her arse and cupped her firm cheek then gripping it tightly. She moaned at the feeling and pushed her groin against him rubbing herself a little on him.

Then they broke off, their foreheads meeting as they looked at each other from close together, both seeing the passion they had engendered in the other.

"God you can kiss," Harry said, it was true as well; she was the best kiss he had ever had. Apparently, she had been holding out on him, she was MUCH better than Lavender was. He did wonder what had brought on this serious snog though, so he asked her as gently as he could.

"You did it, you actually did it." Parvati told him her face serious as she pulled back far enough to look at him properly. Her leg was still curled around his waist though and she showed no signs of moving it.

"Did what?" Harry asked, his mind was still not fully functional, had he mentioned how damn good that kiss was? If he had not he would have to make sure he did, damn she could kiss.

Parvati laughed it was a lovely light sound at that. "You have slain the demon Harry; I finally realize that you are not just an exceptional hunk. You are the real deal, and frankly, that turns me on more than a bit. I know you are seeing other girls and honestly, I do not care. There are much worse things in life than sharing you. Such as never getting to have you at all."

Harry was unbelievable complimented and touched by what she had just said. He was also more than a little tempted to start kissing her again. He had a feeling if they started, they would not stop until one of them was screaming the others name. "I'm-"

She shut him up with a finger on his lips, which seemed to be happening to him a lot that day. "I don't want you to think me shallow Harry. You remember that I mentioned I was interested in someone else?"

Harry nodded, so she continued, "It was a lie, I have always found you attractive but I thought you and Lav were so hot for each other that I would stand aside, which is why I said what I said. That did not work out, and you have been seeing a few girls I think. I was brought up in a semi traditional way Harry; men with more than one wife are not that unusual to me. Even in wizarding, Britain such is quite common, or was up to about 100 years ago. Unlike the Muggle world, those marriage laws have never been rescinded. I want you to think about that Harry, because one day- I will want to apply for your harem" she said with a sexy smile, "I expect entry, or else," she added with a chuckle. "Even my father wouldn't begrudge me this, especially given your status. I just want you to think about it, alright?"

Harry nodded, he would be thinking about that a lot from this point on he was sure. She felt so damn good pressed against him it was amazing. "In the meantime," she said, that sexy smile on her face again, "I will be doing all sorts of things to do and with you. Let's just keep the fact I fully intend to lose my virginity to you to ourselves shall we?" she asked her eyes sensual and Harry was sure she was getting closer. "Free me up a night Harry, please, and make it soon, and then we can finish what we've started here. Right now I'm going to my bed and spending the next two hours pleasing myself with some toys and thinking of that kiss we just had, keep that in your head," she said, and then stepped back and away from him, but it looked like it was an effort for her to do so. Then her wand wafted over the doorway and she was gone, leaving Harry a hormonal mess with imagery in his head he was never going to be able to shake off. Nor, come to think of it, did he want to.

-#-

Harry's step faltered a little when he saw who was waiting for him outside of Hagrid's hut. Those he had requested were there as well as Charlie Weasley. This could be a little tricky to say the least.

"Charlie," Harry said with a nod at the stocky man.

"Harry," Charlie returned with an edge to his voice, "You and I need to talk- Man to man."

"Okay, but can it wait? I have something that REALLY needs to be taken care of right now."

"Yeah, and injured dragon, that takes precedence with me too." Charlie said shortly.

Harry smirked slightly, wondering if Charlie was going to feel the same way when he realized the dragon was Harry. Alternatively, what would happen if the man realized he had his hand on his sisters arse not that long ago. It had not been on purpose or anything, but it just rather ended up there when he had kissed her. He probably should not have done that, but damn it she was hot and he was horny.

Harry walked over to Professor Dumbledore, "Albus," he said with a warm smile.

"Harry, I have gotten everyone together and there is now a strong aversion charm up around the area. We are far enough away from the school that we should not be disturbed."

"I hope not," Harry said and nodded a welcome to Hagrid and Madam Pomfrey. "Shall we do this then? Oh wait- I should probably ask you all to give me your word that you will keep what you are about to see a secret."

All of them, even Charlie gave him that word. This was more than good enough for him considering those present. He may have fallen out with the Weasley's a bit of late but he still loved them all and trusted them as well.

"Right, then I suppose I should just do this thing. After the dragon- arrives, stay back until I tell you it is safe, he is in a great deal of pain. He may attack first and not bother with questions, alright?"

Once he got the nod, or spoken response, from those present he backed well away them.

"Where's this dragon anyway?" Charlie asked.

Hagrid was looking up in the sky, "He can't be flying with no hurt wing can he?"

Dumbledore smirked to himself secretly.

Harry laughed, and his body expanded radically, growing in height and breadth in seconds. His skin turned black, leathery and had a slight sheen to it that was like a mother of pearl effect. His eyes grew and became even more emerald than before, his legs expanded and lengthened. His arms changed shape and he roared in pain as his wings sprouted out of his body and snapped to full extension. Then suddenly where there had been Harry, stood the Black and he was NOT a happy camper. It was only Harry's more human influences that held the dragons rage at bay. Soothing his own instincts with promises of pain relief and fixing his own wing. It was a hard won battle but he calmed himself and lumbered forward a step, the ground shaking slightly as he did.

Hagrid dropped to his knees and Harry swore he saw tears in his eyes, "Oh look at 'im. He's beautiful." he said his tone reverent.

Charlie took a step forward his face ashen, but his eyes shining with the type of fervor more usually apparent on a religious nut. "A Black!" he breathed in awe, "They are only legend in some fairly dodgy quarters, dear sweet Merlin! A Black!"

Dumbledore started making mental notes, speaking aloud as he did so, "He has to be 25 feet high at the head, and at the back 15-18 feet. From head to tip of the tail, he has to be at least 40 feet long if not more. It's hard to tell as he is somewhat upright."

Charlie looked at him as if he were mad. Dumbledore smirked at him, "I'm cataloguing this occasion with Harry's permission we should write a paper. I have a quick quotes quill on the ground behind me."

"I'm fine with that," A deep melodious voice said drawing their attention back to Harry who was actually smiling at them. It was a bit terrifying to see to say the least, but they knew it was Harry humanizing the Black a little. "We'll do a proper measuring session at some point." he said and stepped forward, his wing sweeping around and damn near knocking them over with the wash of air. "I would quite like you to have a look at this though please."

Hagrid and Charlie stepped forward, taking that as the permission they had been waiting for, "Dear Merlin! What did this?"

"An enlarged Nundu," Harry said, the following chuckle in his dragon form shook the windows on Hagrid's hut. "I'm a little worried that it isn't healing, perhaps something to do with their magic?"

"Their bite is supposedly poisonous," Dumbledore, said thoughtfully, "However no one has gotten past their breath to be bitten."

"Also his claws did this, if that helps?"

Charlie carefully reached out and touched Harry's wing membrane, "It's a clean cut, that's something but the edges seem to be holding some sort of infection I think. We could do with Professor Snape, if that's alright Harry?"

"Yeah, just ask him to promise the same thing I asked you," Harry told them, settling his large form down in a more comfortable position in which to wait. Then he laughed, "Just make sure you knock on his door before you go in. You could damage your eyes else."

They fetched Professor Snape forthwith a small black bag in his hand not unlike the one Madam Pomfrey carried. "Merlin!" he breathed in shock, then- "Harry?"

Harry chortled, "Good guess"

"It had to be you," Snape said with a smirk, "I was having sex, and only you would dare interrupt that."

Harry laughed aloud the sound reverberating around the area.

"Severus; please- I did not need that mental image." Dumbledore said wryly, causing Harry to laugh again.

"Right-" Charlie said, wondering what was going on with Snape, but then if he was getting laid he had probably removed that stick from up his arse. He shuddered to think whom he was sleeping with though; he would bet they were not attractive.

"Sev-Are you- Oh!" Capelle said coming into view.

Charlie did a classic double take, 'No, Fucking Way!' he thought fervently.

"Hello Professor Zabini," Harry said his voice flowing over the woman, "I would ask your word- blah- blah," he added with a sigh that nearly knocked Charlie off his feet. "Severus, can you check out the wounds for me. Charlie thinks there is an infection,"

As Capelle nodded, her agreement to keep her mouth shut Severus moved forward and took a scraping from one of Harry's wounds. Then he opened his kit and began to work on finding out what it was.

"So- Dragon huh, that's interesting." Capelle said carefully, not really knowing how to speak to Harry at that moment.

"How did you get through the Aversion field?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

Capelle shrugged with a slight smile that was as mysterious as it was attractive. "Seriously though, A Dragon Animagus?"

"I'm not a dragon Animagus, not really," Harry told her, keeping his voice down as low as he could get it, "I'm a Jaguar Animagus and part Draconian to be exact. The Black Dragon part of me is not an Animagus spirit it is a big part of who I am. The exact details are my own, but needless to say it's something I would like to keep quiet."

Capelle nodded, "So; where's your Harem?"

"Why is that so fascinating to everyone that out of all things they know about dragons that when they find out about me it's generally the first thing they ask?"

"Because sex is the single biggest driving force of the universe," Capelle said with a shrug.

Harry rolled his eyes, his wing twitching as he held back his laughter. "Well, I'm- working on that."

"You will have to invoke the old laws," Dumbledore said, pulling on his beard as he often did when thinking.

"Oh not you as well!" Harry said, "I thought you would at least say, 'Naughty Harry!'"

Dumbledore smiled, "Hardly Harry it is the natural way of things, not even humans are truly monogamous after all."

Capelle smiled, "Perhaps I may sign up as a satellite member,"

Snape swore as he dipped his hand in the liquid he was currently boiling and tossed a mild glare at his love, "Very bloody funny," he noted.

"Well as pleasant as that thought is, and boy is it." Harry said, "I've already got my hands full as it is."

Capelle pouted in a sexy way, Harry lifted one of his smaller forearms and waved her off, "Don't you dare."

Capelle laughed happily and freely at him, "Don't worry Sev is more than man enough for me."

"Gah!" Charlie said looking green as he did so.

Capelle smirked at him but looked back at Harry, "I do wish a favor from you that you may find- difficult though."

"Oh?" Harry said his voice strained as his wing was throbbing again.

"I need you to do me a sculpture, the details of which I will explain later, are you up for it?"

"Urm- yeah sure, Gongari clay, or are we talking about something else?"

"Obviously"

"Then I can do that with no problems, you know the restrictions I take it."

Capelle smiled, "Indeed I do, therein lies what may be a problem for you."

Harry would have frowned but his draconian face did not really allow for the full range of human expression. "Right, we'll worry about that later, for now. What's the poison Severus and is it mutable?"

"It is mutable, a fairly standard natural construct of various venoms, and this was from a bite I take it or a claw perhaps?"

"Yep, got it in one professor," Harry told the man with a smile. This was still scary to see on a dragons face.

"Charlie, help me with this potion," Snape said bringing up a large jar he had filled with the potion he had been preparing. "We need to spread it across the affected area, Harry you will have to stay in this form for the next hour or so."

Harry nodded; he could do that and still meet up with Tracey later.

"Then Madam Pomfrey will need to put on a salve to close the wound, for that you will need to stay in this form for the night," Severus finished.

"Oh, bugger- urm- okay," Harry, said thinking fast, his forearm touched his head and came away with a small dragon Adfero. It winged its way towards its intended recipient, and then Harry paused and sent another on its way.

"Do I want to know how that will feel when it hits?" Charlie wondered aloud, "Adferos are bad enough from some people, but from a dragon?"

"I made sure to mute it," Harry told him, "professor a young lady will be approaching the aversion field shortly could you let her through for me. Hermione will follow shortly afterwards, hell knowing her she may get here first."

"Is that wise Harry?" Dumbledore asked, drawing his wand ready to make the changes as and when required.

"Oddly I trust them both, Hermione is obviously the one person I trust over all others, no offence to anyone else, and Tracey is-" he paused, looking for the word, "Refreshingly direct with me, and since I was due to talk to her, I didn't want her to think I was skipping out on her."

"Sounds like you are a dog!" Charlie said his eyes angry.

"No, I'm a dragon," Harry said mildly, "You apparently know a bit about dragons, non?"

"Yes, I do, and what's with the non stuff?" Charlie asked his voice both resigned and amused.

"A friend is getting to me a bit," Harry admitted, "Their speech patterns at least."

"Can you fully extend your wing Harry?" Snape asked, moving so that he would not be knocked over in the process. "This will sting by the way," he added once Harry had complied.

Harry nodded and mentally speaking gritted his teeth against the upcoming pain.

He failed to realize what Severus had meant.

A giant roar rattled around Hogwarts making many stop what they were doing and look around in worry.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"Sting a Bit? Harry said incredulously once they were done, "That hurt like a mother fucker!"

"Harry!" Madam Pomfrey sputtered her face red.

"Sorry Madam Pomfrey," Harry said contritely his wing twitching from where it was now burning slightly.

"Yes, well, don't do it again- Oh god I'm scolding a bloody dragon, somehow that doesn't seem quite correct." she said with an ironic lilt towards the end of her sentence.

There was some shared laughter and then Dumbledore stiffened, "Are, it appears that Miss Davis has arrived, I will let her in, oh, and now Miss Granger has as well." Dumbledore said, sending a spell that allowed them through the aversion field. They entered the clearing shortly thereafter.

"Oh my," Hermione breathed as she walked into the area, "Well, that's impressive."

Tracey snorted a laugh, "You're rather good at understatement aren't you."

Hermione smiled slightly at the raven-haired girl and walked closer to Harry, "You wanted to see me."

"I wanted you to see," Harry told her gaining a smile from his friend.

"Thank you, I'm terribly impressed," Hermione, told him with a grin.

"Wench,"

"Indeed I am," Hermione told him, and then looked at his wing, "Got into a scrape did we?"

"Pesky creatures those Nundu," Harry told her.

Tracey rolled her eyes, "You two are trying too hard to be - what was it- Oh yes, cool."

This caused everyone present to chortle a little, "Though I take it this bad wing of yours is the reason we can't meet?" Tracey asked.

Harry nodded, "Once they are done with me, hang around we'll talk anyway."

Tracey nodded, "Very well," she told him, her shields in place even if her humour was making the occasional appearance.

Hermione looked at the other woman in Harry's life, one of the other women at least. She was wondering what he saw in her at that moment in time. Yes, she was attractive, extremely attractive, but she seemed to cool and distant that did not strike her, as something Harry would really like all that much. She had to suppose that there was much more to her, the fact she liked to watch was obviously one thing. She doubted that it was the be all and end all of what Harry found interesting about her though.

"Right, Harry, I will be back with Charlie in a few hours, say two and we'll see about putting the salve on then. Charlie can help me with the proper application, but I would imagine the potion involved is much the same?" Poppy said to Harry and asked Charlie.

Charlie nodded, "Oddly enough it is, dragons can use quite a few medical potions that humans do."

"Because, we are not so different to humans," Harry told him, "We are merely a different branch."

"What?" Charlie asked.

Harry shook his head and refused to say more, it was something in his memories something that was in fact racial memory it was a long way back he was going to have to study that later. Since he was going to be stuck in his draconian form all night, he had an excellent opportunity to study his own mind in that form. This was not something he had done previously, or had even thought of doing.

Charlie looked at him steadily for a long while then turned back to Madam Pomfrey when he realized he was not going to get an answer. "As I was saying, most potions are fine for dragons, but they obviously have to be more powerful because of the extra thickness of skin."

Poppy nodded, then slung an arm into Charlie's elbow, hooking arms in other words, "Come young Charlie you and I have not talked in a long time. Once you could've given Harry a run for how many times I saw you of a term," she said drawing Charlie away for which Harry was grateful.

Dumbledore and the others quickly took the hint, and got everyone back up to the castle and leaving Harry with two of his fledgling Harem, though only Hermione had joined officially so far.

Once everyone was well away from them Harry's long neck swivelled and angled downwards so his head was level with Tracey, "You're taking this well."

She smiled at him, her eyes bright, "I told you I know that you were special Harry. The fact that you have a dragon form is of little surprise to me," she told him, not even backing up a step from the head that was bigger than she was. "I knew it was you as soon as I laid eyes on you actually. It also explains a lot-"

"You're going to mention the Harem thing aren't you?" Harry said wryly, which was impressive from a dragon's voice box. "Everybody always mentions the Harem thing."

She beamed at him, her eyes twinkling madly, "How do I join?" she asked.

"You already have," Harry told her, his voice surprisingly soft. "I wanted you to see me, like this because I find myself trusting you rather a lot," he added.

"Surprised that you trust a Slytherin?" she asked, her posture defiant.

"No, but I've come to trust you a great deal in a short time. That is what surprises me, I also wanted you to see me as well," Harry said, his head swinging around to face Hermione, she also did not back up.

"Thank you Harry, but why in specific?"

"So you know everything there is to know, so you can see me as I am in all forms."

Hermione smiled at him, moved forward and placed a kiss on his snout. "You'll always be gorgeous to me, in whatever form Harry."

Harry could not blush in that form, for which he was extremely grateful. "Thank you Hermione."

Hermione turned to Tracey, "So- You like to watch hmm?"

Tracey looked at Hermione steadily, "So- You like to be watched hmm?" she shot back.

The two looked at each other steadily and then smiled at each other. Harry let out a breath he had not realized he was holding, blowing both of the girls' hairs up in its draft.

"Awww, he was worried," Tracey, said with a chuckle, "He thought we wouldn't get along or something."

"Apparently, he need not have worried though. I'm not doing the jealous thing, even if you are one of the best looking girls in the school."

Tracey smiled, "Are you flirting with me?"

"Maybe a little"

"Can you two not flirt when I'm in no position to enjoy it?"

-#-

Harry sat bored out of his mind. He had sent the two women away after his second treatment and now he was without a single thing to do. He was not allowed to fly and he was not allowed to change, meaning he was well and truly stuck. He had explored his own mind a little, digging as deep as his primal memory would go. So far, there were no more hints to the flash of information he had gotten before, about the different branch and exactly what he himself had meant by that. It was more than a little frustrating to say the least. Then suddenly he felt someone arriving in the area and he mentally tracked them, luckily there was one thing he could do easily without moving and he promptly turned invisible.

Capelle Zabini walked into the area in which Harry had been and looked around, a little confused. In her arms were a sketchpad and some charcoals as well as a tiny little bag.

Seeing that it was a friend and not a foe Harry allowed himself to be seen.

Capelle jumped backwards in shock, her hand going to her heart, "Bloody Hell Harry!" she said in surprise.

Harry spurted a laugh of fire, which turned to a wash of warm air by time it hit the arts professor.

She raised an elegant brow at him.

"Sorry," he muttered moving sheepishly, which was an amusing look for a huge dragon. Luckily, he was in complete control of The Black at that moment. Otherwise, a much larger fireball would have hit the woman, though not deadly it would have cooked her around the edges for her arrogant assumption to chastise a dragon.

She beamed at him, which was a startling look from a woman as beautiful as she was, "I was hoping that I could take advantage of your inactivity."

"You want to sketch me?"

"No, I want to paint you. I have my full kit with me, it will take all night, but then- You aren't going anywhere are you?" she asked her teeth flashing in the moonlight.

Harry snorted in amusement and nodded his head, "Then, of course you can paint me. This is obviously not a portrait style painting then?"

"Oh, what makes you think that?"

"No soul stone, I wonder- actually, what the soul stone would show if I had my portrait done- Me in Harry form or me in this form? Perhaps, eve, I would show up in my feline form, though in truth I doubt that."

Capelle smirked at him, "You're bored aren't you?"

"How did you guess," Harry said ironically.

"Well, I can, thankfully, talk and work- so I suggest that you and I get to know each other a little better."

Harry looked at her steadily, a slight smile on his maw. "Something about me really fascinates you doesn't it?"

She smiled coyly at him, which normally would have put him off further questioning with a wash of hormones. In his dragon form though, it was related to his mind than hormonal and thus easily controlled. Therefore, he just continued to look at her steadily, "Yes" she said finally, "You do rather fascinate me. If not for Severus I would most likely take you into my bed to fully explore that fascination."

Harry briefly wondered if Severus had moved quarters yet and if he could hit the tower form there with a fireball. He shook off the thought, because as gorgeous as Capelle Zabini was, Severus deserved something good in his life and she was it. "I'm flattered," he said finally, not knowing what else to say. "I still sense you are trying to put me off the real reason though."

She smiled at him in a cunning fashion and an appreciative one as well, "You are the most powerful wizard in a thousand years, possibly more than that. It does indeed interest me greatly to find out more about you. Perhaps ally myself with you; a powerful patron is not a bad thing after all."

"I am already your patron Capelle," Harry said, feeling that they were out of the paradigm of a student/professor relationship. "I am quite willing to continue that during your tenure here and possibly beyond it. Art amazes me, it makes me smile and it makes everyone feel something different. I will also be looking after Dean in the future as well. It is my honest hope that I can stop him from having to leave the wizarding world. I also hope, at a later date to bring music back into Hogwarts."

Capelle looked at him with some amazement, "That was remarkably easy."

Harry laughed, a rich sound that rumbled around the area, "I have an honest appreciation for the arts. I know little about them, well perhaps more than a little. I could learn quite a bit more if you will let me, tomorrow."

"What does that mean; you went off track there like it had just occurred to you."

"I can- copy your knowledge of such things, if you will allow me to."

"You are asking permission to - what, read my mind?" Capelle asked, setting up her kit as she talked.

"I suppose I am; I will of course understand if you are against it."

"I'm not, in theory. I would prefer for my patron to truly appreciate the things I do for him- Harry?"

"Sorry mind wandered, it's your fault with all the talk of taking me into your bed earlier."

Capelle laughed gaily, "You're a bit of a tom cat at heart aren't you Harry?"

He smiled slightly, he was very amused but he did not want to show it too much. Hermione had told him that his draconic smile was a little on the side of terrifying. In addition, he would swear Capelle was playing him for some reason he had not figure, but two could play at that game. "Is it normal to sleep with one's patron?" he asked with a carefully modulated tone.

She smirked slightly, setting up her easel as she spoke. "It's not something I've contemplated before now, but then ones patron isn't usually an exceptionally powerful young man who happens to be extremely attractive." she paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps I should persuade Severus to share me- What do you think?"

"I think you're flirting with me, and I have to admit that's a bit of a shock. Makes me wonder why you would want to."

Capelle smiled again, "Is it so hard to believe that I do actually find you not only interesting but attractive as well. I saw those two girls that were here earlier, they are both interested in you. You know it and they know it and you aren't so shocked about them."

"It's not that I think I'm unattractive or anything, I'm just curious to know what you - want."

Capelle laughed, setting up a short table and then a comfortable chair before she replied. "I'm pressing your buttons to see your reactions Harry. It's something I tend to do to people I like, but want to be sure of them."

"Did you press Severus's buttons?" Harry asked his voice was thick with amusement.

"You know very well what buttons I pushed with Sev. He is, at the same time a complex and simple man. In that, he has complex emotional issues, but simple needs. You have personally tended to the major issue in his life. For that alone I like you, he has come to mean rather a lot to me."

"What is it I did?"

"You removed his dark mark, as you well know. Killing Voldemort is largely unimportant compared to that. By flushing the dark magic out of his system, you have allowed to him to feel lighter. This in turn has allowed him to show his lighter emotions. I, as the direct recipient of those lighter emotions thank you. I am not like Sev Harry. I am a complex individual in emotions and needs. I am wondering if you can help me fill some of those needs. You have already said that you will help with one. Dean's future was another thing I needed to ensure. For anything else, I need to know you better."

"A straight answer that will help your case a great deal I assure you." Harry said, smiling slightly again.

Capelle smiled, sitting back in her comfortable chair a sketch pencil in her hand. She looked at him for a long moment, and then her hand began to flow across the canvas she had set up. Her face relaxed and her posture changed completely becoming oddly comfortable.

Harry watched her as she sketched out what was no doubt the beginning of her next masterpiece. "There must then be something in particular that you wish to know?"

"How do you feel?" She asked the question seemed out of place somehow, so Harry looked at her curiously. She took the hint, "Like that, in that form- How do you feel. This is for the art by the way, not my curiosity. I want to make that- what was it you said, take something and make it shine out."

"Powerful, as if I can do anything." he paused for a long moment, "Arrogant, or at the least, superior to everything around me, right now though I am frustrated because I can't fly."

"Do you like to fly?"

"I love to fly, especially like this. I have a Firebolt, one of the fastest brooms in the world and it is pedestrian compared to the speeds I can reach like this, the way that feels is incomparable to anything else in my admittedly limited experience."

"Better than sex?" she asked with a slightly impish smile curling her lips.

"No, I don't think anything beats that. In human form at least."

"Why human form?"

"Dragons just sort of get the job done, it's not about pleasure. They have very different ways of giving each other that."

"Such as?" Capelle asked, now curious despite herself.

"They sing," Harry, said wistfully, "All the time, I can hear it even now. There is a clutch of dragons up in those mountains," he said with a nod in the direction of the just visible mountains. "Their flame is strong and proud, as they should be. It angers me that dragons are in subservient positions in places like Gringotts. I understand why they are there, but all the same it pisses me off."

"You make it sound as if Dragons are comparable to humans." Capelle noted, her hand still flowing over the canvas as she spoke.

"That's because they are, we are rather, though A Black is above even that really. We are sentient beings, who think, love, and have a freedom of expression and even our own forms of art."

"Fascinating, I have made several studies of Dragons during the course of my career. They fascinate me greatly, such noble looking creatures and elegant in their form. You are different from most dragons I have seen. Your forelegs are shorter, more prehensile than normal dragons are. They have four legs and you have two and forearms. You are somewhat larger; looking rather like the Muggle dream of the dragon in this country, Other than that though your shape is similar, though your wings do seem disproportionably large."

"They fold back a fair bit, when I'm going faster I'm being propelled by magic. I can break a good deal more than the speed of sound, instant transportation via full use of my magic, or faster than any Muggle jet with only a little. The extra size is because of the power I need to do that. My wings fold back when I dive of course."

"I feel that I should've borrowed the Headmasters quick quotes quill." Capelle told him seriously; "I will endeavour to remember instead." she looked up and then did a few strong strokes with her pencil nodding to herself. "I'm going off point somewhat aren't I," she said with a smile. "But - can you sing for me?"

Harry shook his head, and then paused, "Well I can- but you won't be able to hear it. I could probably call some here but frankly they seem at peace where they are."

"Fair enough," Capelle noted with a nod of her head.

Harry lapsed into silence as she began mixing some paints together. "You are a powerful man politically now," Capelle said suddenly, dipping her brush in some paint then blending some colours.

Harry would have loved to lift an eyebrow at that point but was unable to due to his lack of an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I would say that," he said eventually.

"I would say that for certain you have a great deal of political power now. I am sure that when the time comes you would be able to- direct the flow of various decisions."

Harry looked at her steadily, which was a very impressive look on a dragon.

She sighed, "Very well, Severus has enemies, due to the way he has treated people and because of the things he has done in the past, not the least of which was spying for many years against some hefty political bodies. It is my hope their political power will be diminished shortly, however, I am not sure it will happen."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, "I see, you want me to protect him don't you?" He paused for a moment and then said, "If you had asked me that last year I would've laughed in your face." He laughed, with another slight fireball accompanying it. "Now you don't have to ask me to do it, I would do it anyway."

She smiled at him brightly and thankfully, "Thank you Harry."

"You care for him don't you; you must do to beat around the bush like this and try to butter me up first of all."

"I do, very much- I was however being serious about how attractive I find you as well as how interesting I find you."

Harry smiled again, making sure he did not show teeth, "Then you have other questions?" he asked her semi-seriously as he had a feeling that she would indeed have more.

"I do," she admitted, "Some are personal some are about your form. I really am very interested in Dragons, there was a reason I was chosen to make the sculptures of the Tri-Wizard dragons. I also still have yet to ask you my favour."

"Let's start with that, I know you want me to do a sculpture and the specifics are going to be difficult for me."

"Well, you need to know the subject well, your memory is enhanced by many factors I am sure?"

"Yes, the better I know something, the more vivid an image the more - vivid the sculpture will be."

"I wish two sculptures made; one can of course be a copy of the other. Not animated with no instructions and set Gongari pieces. One is for Severus, and one is for my private collection."

"You have a private collection?"

"I have an extensive private collection," Capelle told him seriously, "I occasionally; allow those I am close to access to it. Perhaps you will see it one day."

"I think I would like that, but this sculpture?"

"I have a specific piece and pose in mind, and I am afraid that you may say no if I tell you."

"Really, I hate to think what it could be."

"It's not onerous, or at least- I hope it isn't."

"Well, just tell me what it is and we'll go from there."

Harry's eyes shot open when Capelle smiled and said, "I wish a nude."

-#-

Harry felt much better the next day, his phantom wing pain was gone and he had been able that morning bright and early, to stretch his wings a bit. In other words, he flew to France and back before breakfast.

He walked into the school and was grabbed once more. He should probably be getting used to it by now, but he really did not think he ever actually would. The identity of the grabber though was more than a little bit of a surprise to him.

"Pansy?" he asked, his voice and face laced with shock.

"Potter- Harry, I-" she trailed off and looked miserable.

Part of the shock he had felt was not only the identity of the attacker, but also the way she was dressed. A pair of amazingly high heels was on her feet, legs glad in white stockings and a Basque top finished off the look. In truth, she looked hot, but her makeup was overdone and her hair was a bit of a mess. The thing that stopped him dead from being turned on though was the look of utter mortification in her eyes.

"Draco put you up to this didn't he?" Harry asked with a heavy sigh, watching her as tears filled her eyes. "I am so sorry Pansy, so very- very sorry. I would have sex with you in a heartbeat by the way; you certainly do not need to dress like that to get me to do that. That said, I know this isn't for real and you look so- horrified and upset that I'm not about to be turned on."

The tears began to fall down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry," she cried her shoulders trembling.

"What's the plan? Is he going to jump in with a camera and catch us in the act?"

Pansy shook her head, so he pulled her into a hug. She was so distraught that she accepted it gladly. Harry turned his head to the side and sent off an Adfero, "You were to- seduce me then?" he asked, she was so far gone that she had not even seen him sending a message.

She nodded miserably against his chest, holding him tightly.

"Do you even fancy me Pansy?" he asked, his voice a little dark. He was not angry with her, he was furious with Draco.

She nodded, which was a bit of a surprise to Harry. He pressed on though, "Not enough to shag me though I am betting."

She shook her head this time, confirming his suspicions quite nicely. He let out a breath, "What's the idea then, I go into breakfast today and Draco stands up in a huff and shouts rape? Your maidenhood is checked and it is confirmed via inspection that we have had sex? Doesn't he know there's probably not a girl over the age of 14 in this school with a hymen?"

She pulled back and looked at him curiously, so he smiled, "I know about the wand trick," he explained which caused her a moment of amusement.

He pushed her back and transfigured her clothing into something less embarrassing for her. "I'm so sorry you've got caught up in this Pansy. You're a very attractive girl; you can do much better than Draco Malfoy."

"Like who, you?" she asked with a trembling lip.

"I'm a bit of a tart Pansy, and the thought of doing anything with you are far from unattractive to me. If you are looking for the boyfriend type though, then no- Not me, but there are a lot of good looking, influential and more importantly, honourable guys out there. Blaise jumps to mind for starters. I'm fairly sure he isn't actually gay as most seem to think."

She giggled slightly, and then started to cry again. He pulled her in for another hug and soothed her by rubbing her back gently, "You know either way, even if you report failure, that Draco will push this ahead don't you?"

She nodded on his chest with a sigh along for the ride.

"That's going to be embarrassing for you Pansy. There is not a lot I can do about that. Other than, make him eat his words obviously. He is going to impugn my good name through merely the accusation, half of Gryffindor knows that I was caught kissing Ginny. They will have any doubts cleared as soon as he stands up and declares me a rapist. I will have to put him down and put him down hard."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked, still sobbing slightly so her words came out in small hiccups.

"I never got the feeling that you were really feeling the insults you chucked at me, that you were following after Draco. You love him don't you?"

She shook her head, "I did- until he forced me to do this. I was going to do it as well, I am sorry for that I really am, but then I saw you and I just could not do it. Now my family will be disgraced, my reputation will be in tatters and any influence I had will be gone in a flash- All because of his petty hatred of you and your girlfriend."

Harry looked at her steadily for a moment, "I have someone on the way that will get you back in the Snake Pit. She will do it quietly because she owes me a few favours." He told her, the last part a bit of a lie, but he knew Tracey would do this for him, but Pansy would understand it better if he told her it was repayment. "When Draco makes his announcement if you wish, stand up and call me a rapist. I will just deal with the fallout. It sounds like your situation is more untenable than mine is even. With all that has happened lately I may be able to weather this I suppose."

She looked at him for a long drawn out moment, her eyes were - stunned. "W-W-W-"

"It's alright; I understand things better than most think you know. I'm not overly bothered by the way people think of me. Those I care about will know the truth, everyone else can go whistle."

"B-B-B-" she stuttered at him.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Tracey will be here soon. If you want me to, I can- urm- give you evidence."

She dove onto him, her lips on his and kissing the air out of him. He was just starting to become aroused when a polite clearing of a throat came from behind them; it was Tracey. Pansy broke away and looked at Harry in shock, "I've made a decision," she said, no hint of a pause or a stutter. "For starters Draco and his family can go fuck. I am going to go right now and write to my parents, to warn them what is happening. I will stand up and call that weasel fucker a liar. They will test me and find nothing. I want you to challenge that dick-less fuck to a duel and I want you to thrash him," she said her eyes burning with passion. "You made me feel like a human being Harry, someone that should've just slapped me and walked away just treated me better than Draco has in the past 6 years. You think I will stand by and let him try to ruin you?" she shook her head. "No way, no way in hell!"

Harry smiled at her, "Are you sure Pansy, it could get rocky- unless- We give testimony under Veritaserum, which might do it." He said obviously thinking as he spoke.

"Fine by me. The little shit could be out of the school by the end of the day if we did that." She looked at Tracey who was smiling at her slightly, then back at Harry. "Just so you know-" she said, kissing him quickly again, "I don't want Blaise."

With that, she walked out head held high and Tracey trailing behind her. Tracey glanced back and smiled warmly at him, before putting an arm around Pansy's back and leading her back towards the Slytherin common room and then a private conversation.

-#-

That morning's breakfast had an air of expectancy about it, or it did for a few in the know. The only real regret Harry had was that he could not kill the little bastard for this, or permanently hurt him. He did after all know his mother rather well and did not think that she would take to that kindly.

He wondered when Draco would pull of his move. All told, it was far from the best plan in the world. Perhaps if Pansy had not a moral bone in her body she would have done it and Harry may well have fallen for it. In the Muggle world, they had ways of telling if sex was mutual, forced or even mutual with violence. He was not so sure about the Magical world, certainly not sure enough to stake his reputation on it. Luckily, Pansy had shown there were lines she would not cross and he had a feeling that he had made a friend for life with the way he had reacted. It would have been easy to do as she had said, to just slap her one and walk away. That did not seem to be right to Harry not right at all. Therefore, he had reacted as he hoped someone would do for him and apparently, that had been the correct thing to do.

He looked across to the Slytherin table; Draco had an almost keen look on his face so Harry suspected he would not wait for long. The breakfast mail arrived, with several owls swooping down to those that had various missives from home. One headed straight for Pansy and she eyed it warily. He felt for her he really did, even though it was not his place he would make sure she did not cop too much fallout for Draco's stunt if he could manage it. He did after all have a few methods at his disposal did he not? A large island if he needed it laid waiting for him and anyone he needed to hide for one thing. He suspected that he could be happy there, a forest to run in, local food and even books to read. The airspace above the island was naturally clear as well and as soon as he got a chance he could get Thisiliar out of bondage and they could fly together free from the concerns of human kind.

Her eyes scanned the letter and she smiled widely, her eyes flicking to his for a moment. Whatever the note contained it was a balm to her that much was obvious. She carefully put the note away and continued to talk to those around her. Harry had to give Slytherin's one thing that the excelled at, they could really act.

Breakfast was served and Draco was apparently waiting for the lull as everyone dug in. Then he jumped up onto the table. Harry's assertion was further proven as Draco affected a righteous anger and yelled, "Harry POTTER RAPED MY GIRL FRIEND!" at the top of his voice.

Harry gave Pansy a moment to make her denial, or her agreement. She stood up her face lived and she hauled off and slapped Draco stupid, "He did No Such Thing!" she breathed, her voice laced with venom and her eyes spitting fire. "Unlike some I can mention he is an honourable man. He has never laid a hand on me in the way you are accusing of that I am willing to testify under Veritaserum!"

Draco looked like he had been slapped, but then- he had. It was her words though that had more of an impact.

Harry decided it was his turn. His power jumped out around him crackling with justifiable anger and his eyes glowed with it. "I demand satisfaction," he purred dangerously.

Draco looked about ready to shit himself. "But-"

"Now!" Harry growled, and it was a frighteningly realistic sound.

Dumbledore stood up, his face creased in worry, "Harry, perhaps a more peaceful solution can be found?"

"I don't want to duel him to the death," Harry said in a more reasonable tone of voice, "I know someone that may not like that." he added, sowing a seed into Draco's subconscious. "I actually care about what they think. No, I will have my satisfaction though, and I want it now. I have been accused of a most heinous and despicable crime. Honour demands no less than total satisfaction Headmaster."

Dumbledore looked at him piercingly, so Harry met his eyes and 'pushed' his memories of the events of that morning into his mind. Dumbledore himself then looked angry, "Very well" he said in a surprisingly level voice. "Everyone will please clear the great hall immediately."

Instant chaos and pandemonium as everyone ran like buggery for the nearest exit.

"I want a second." Draco said quickly, his voice cracking.

"I will do it," Severus said with a sigh. He was so utterly disappointed in his godson at that moment, but he had to do his duty not only as a godfather, (Something he had thus far failed in) but as the head of Draco's house also.

"I will second Harry" a voice came from behind Harry causing him to turn in surprise.

"Davis!" Draco growled dangerously, "What do you think you are doing you traitor."

Tracey looked at Draco evenly, "Do you honestly wish for me to detail the events that have led up to this duel?"

"Feel free" Pansy said, "I will be making a full report. Harry, will you take my favour?"

Harry looked at her for a moment before nodding. Somewhat like a joust, a favour could be anything from a kiss to an item of clothing. Harry was hoping for a handkerchief all things considered. "Take my favour and fight with my honour as well as your own." Pansy declared in a clear strong voice as she handed him what Harry had hoped. "As it is not only your honour sullied this day."

The speech was very formal, but then this was a very formal event.

"I will be making a complaint to the Ministry Mr. Malfoy. I have the full support of my parents in this matter. Not only did you try to force me onto someone, that at the time, I was not interested in. You ignored my plea and then threatened me with harm upon my family and its name if I did not do as you asked."

Draco was becoming more and paler as she went on.

"This and more I will testify to under truth serum." she finished, her head held high but Harry could see her resolve was on the knife-edge.

Harry smiled at her, that appeared to help somewhat and he stood beside her. "I accept your token of favour under the terms you mentioned."

Pansy smiled at him in return and backed away, now silent, and stood beside Tracey.

Most of the hall had now cleared out, but a few had been around to hear all of that. This was exactly as Pansy had wanted.

"I will be drawing up the papers for your expulsion Mr. Malfoy if testimony is found true." Professor Dumbledore said his tone carefully modulated to show no preference either way.

Draco was shaking slightly now, this had all backfired on him rather spectacularly. If he failed to beat Potter, he would be without honour. If their testimony was found admissible then his name would be worth nothing, and not even his father could save him from that. If he was expelled from Hogwarts, they would snap his wand and he would be unable to do magic. Worse, still, if he were convicted of something like threatening behaviour and intent to ruin an ancient name he would be in Azkaban.

Harry appeared to read that last one loud and clear. "Cissy would never forgive me if I let her son go to Azkaban."

Draco's face flushed with anger. "So it's you that has been hiding the traitorous bitch then?"

Harry stepped forward, and slapped Draco around the face, "Strike Two Draco, that means one more and I will not hold back. It's my respect for your mother that is stopping me from demanding what is my right and having a duel to the death."

Draco looked as if he were about to wet himself.

"Ten paces away from each other gentlemen," Dumbledore said, due to his position it was up to him to a) Try to mediate, and if that failed then, b) Referee the duel. Frankly, he was glad that Harry was not pushing this to the full extent of his rights. There had not been a killing by duel in the school for a hundred years and he hoped never to see a student kill a fellow ever again in the hallowed halls.

"Make ready" he called out, "Begin."

Draco did not even see Potter move; his wand had come up ready with some of the nastiest curses he knew. Intending to go all out on the bastard when instead, Harry just seemed to blur in place. This was not like anything he had seen Harry doing before. There may have been spell chains; he was not sure, since he was already airborne by that point and bleeding all over his face. He did not have chance to land before a bashing curse hit his side and broke three ribs. Now spinning in the air he was sent flying into a wall and then finally blessed relief came when a big hand seemed to swat him out of the air and made him go splat on the hard floor.

Harry had already stopped moving by that point his wand still glowing nearly as much as his eyes were.

Dumbledore stepped forward, "I would say that Harry Potter prevails- Again.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Harry arrived on the Isle of Black with little fan fare. It was raining, which rather suited his mood. He had just had a bitch of a day and was not looking forward to the next part at all.

Silently he trudged into Black Castle, his mood as sombre as the weather. In truth, he was not sure how Cissy was going to react to this news. It was, a victory for him in a way, but she would most likely feel differently. He was, after all her son that was thicker than any bond known to man, one would think.

Silently he walked into the Grand Hall, feeling a little upset about what he was about to do, especially since he could hear Cissy's voice raised in laughter. It was a nice sound, a very nice sound and he hated to be the one that had to ruin her mood so.

Cissy replied and Harry then heard Bell's voice raised in laughter as well, her throaty chuckle quite different from the insane giggle he had heard not long before. There was another situation he had to deal with this evening Bell and the changes he had made.

Then, if he had time and was not dead, he would go get Thisiliar.

Oh no, his day was not busy at ALL!

He cleared his throat just loud enough to attract the two sister's attention. Fleur was not around; he strongly suspected that the Order would be keeping her busy as they tracked down the inner circle.

Cissy's face broke in to a smile, "Harry!" she said and got up, running towards him. She was brought up short when she looked into his eyes, "What is the matter?" she asked, coming to a stop not far in front of him.

"I want to hug you more than you know; I just don't think you'll want to hug me when I've told you everything that has been happening."

"Come and sit down, and we will talk through it then." Cissy said with a slight smile, reaching for and hooking her arm into his. She wanted to show him that there was little he could do to make it so she did not want to hug him.

Harry walked with her, giving Bell a slight smile when he reached her. "I have some stuff to talk about with you too." he told her.

Bell nodded at him, but otherwise remained silent. She sensed that Harry's first piece of news was for Cissy alone.

Cissy sat Harry down next to her, turning in her chair to face him, "What is it Harry?"

Harry blew out a breath, "This morning I had a duel with your son."

Cissy stiffened, "Is he dead?" she asked her voice tightly controlled.

Harry shook his head, "I didn't hurt him that badly at all actually, but it's the fallout from all that had happened this morning."

"You had better begin from the start then."

Harry nodded, "I was on my way back into the castle when I was - grabbed and pulled into a classroom. It was Pansy, who looked mortified and was dressed in a way that would normally be sexy. If she did not look like she wanted to cry."

Cissy raised her brow, "Oh dear," she said having a horrible feeling she knew what he was going to say.

"Draco set her up, to set me up. Normally, I am ashamed to admit it might have worked. The idea was apparently to have Pansy seduce me, shag me and then call rape. If not for the fact, she could not go through with it then I would probably be having a much different conversation right now. I offered to take the fall in the end, she was so cut up and worried I did not see a way out for her. In the end we came up with one."

Cissy nodded, "He is so much like his father at times, oh Draco," she said with great disappointment in her tone. "I knew when I left that something like this may happen eventually. He was always so headstrong, which is a good thing, but blind to the pit falls along the road to his goals. What happened exactly?"

"He called rape at breakfast, Pansy denied it, and has pressed formal charges, some pure blood stuff. Apparently Draco threatened her family name or some such thing- That looks bad from your expression."

"It is, go on please." Cissy said, now once more worried for her son's continued health.

"I also called him out, to not done so would've painted me badly. I had to do that I am sorry; I didn't make the duel to the death though. I beat him, fairly badly but I didn't hurt him in any permanent way, he is already back on his feet."

Cissy smiled warmly at him, "Thank you. Was he found guilty?"

"He was," Harry said with a nod of his head.

Cissy turned white, "Oh dear."

"I kept him out of Azkaban, he is expelled and he is to stay in Malfoy Manor for the foreseeable future. I managed to stop Mr. Parkinson from killing him, but Gloria got past me."

"Gloria?" Cissy asked with a slight smile on her face.

Harry shrugged, "She and Mr. Parkinson seem to like me for some reason."

"Oh, I don't know why that could possibly be," Cissy said sarcastically, "This is why you were scared I wouldn't want to touch you?"

Harry nodded, "It is, I am sorry- He went too far and something had to be done."

"You idiot," Cissy said and dived on him hugging him like crazy. "You think I am angry? I am, not at you though. Draco and more so his Father, them I am angry with. Not only did you act honourably towards someone you had little reason to, you did your best to limit the harm Draco came to. How the hell did you keep him out of Azkaban? A Family Slur is a serious charge. The entire Pure Blood society is based around two things in that respect. The ability to carry on lines in whatever form, and our good names, such charges are accompanied with hefty charges and long prison terms. Line theft, or removing the ability to procreate and further a line are punishable by death. This should give you an idea as to how bloody surprised I am."

"Well, that sort of brings me to another item of news. I am guessing that you've not heard from Fleur in a while."

Cissy shook her head, "She was called away the other day and hasn't returned. We're starting to get a little worried about her."

"Don't be worried, she's just very- very busy right now. The Ministry and The Order are chasing down the Inner Circle."

"Why would they do that, if they go after them Voldemort will be on them in a flash."

"He's suffering from the lack of a head right now and is in no position to make anyone's life difficult ever again."

Cissy and Bell looked at him for a long moment before Cissy kissed the ever-living heck out of him. In truth, Bell was in two minds as to how to feel about that. For one thing, she was one of the inner circle. It would be Fleur's job to 'bring her in'. Secondly, she had been Voldemort's follower for many years, hearing of his death made her feel- oddly devoid of emotion actually, which struck her as odd. The other thing was a worry though.

"You did it; I knew you could do it." Cissy said once she had stopped kissing him. She then proceeded to lay kisses all over his face.

Harry smiled, and pushed her back a bit, he looked at Bell steadily, "If you're upset about Voldemort- Sorry. If you are worried because the Ministry is so hot for the Inner Circle- Don't be. I accidentally sorted that out."

The two sisters shared a look, "Accidentally sorted that out?" they repeated in the form of a question.

He smiled sheepishly; at least they were not asking how he had killed Voldemort. That still made his stomach rebel when he thought about it. "I urh- did a spell, the details of which I'm still not entirely clear on"

The two sisters exchanged another look, "What's the basic aim of the spell then?" Bell asked her tone was curious and her face a little set.

Harry smiled, "Basically you are in the clear, free and clear. Not that I don't have something for you to do though."

"Do?"

"Yeah, the way I see it- You do this for me, and I will settle up your scorecard as it were."

"Are we talking more sex? Because I'm more than willing to do that."

Harry smiled, "No, we're not- That's not to say the idea doesn't have merit" he told her with a wink, "No, this is something different. Something serious really, you see I have a friend; I have stolen his revenge from him and in the process taken away a chance for a little peace. I want to give that back to him, and the way I've come up with will be good for all parties."

"What is this way?" Bell asked with mounting worry.

Harry smiled, "We're going to take a little trip you and I, because you have an ability that I think will be perfect for a little healing."

Bell looked confused, Harry blanked that and looked to Cissy, and "I'm likely to be getting a lot of owls from now on asking me to go places. Would you mind taking up your role as social secretary?"

"Of course not," Cissy told him with a smile, "Do you wish for me to say no, or pick the ones that would be more useful to you and forward them on?"

"The useful ones, as much as I hate all that crap I think I may need to be making contacts from now on."

Cissy nodded her agreement to that statement, "Finally you see the light," she said with a smirk.

Harry stuck his tongue out with a gleam in his eye, "For now, I'm going to borrow your sister."

Cissy nodded, "Just don't forget me Harry; I have something to finish with you. Fleur and I both."

"You know that reminds me," he said looking embarrassed, "This Harem thing seems to be becoming real and-"

"I want in." Both Black sisters said at the same time, then looked at each other and laughed.

Harry blinked back his surprise, "I have to wonder why so many amazing women want to be a part of this."

"You wouldn't understand Harry, because you're far too modest for your own good." Cissy told him, "When you make it official we will have to have a ceremony of course."

"Official?"

"Oh dear, you have no idea do you. Well, it is very simple we do a modified hand clasping ceremony with you to show our commitment to you. This legalizes the harem in the eyes of the Wizarding world."

"Well, blimey- I have to tell you some stuff actually, I suppose both of you. So gather around and let me fill you in."

-#-

A short while later found Bellatrix and Harry standing in a small ward in St Mungo's looking down at a pair of occupied beds.

Bell glared at him her dark eyes half-angry, half scared, "You have got to be joking me."

Harry shook his head, "You recognize them then?"

"Yes!"

"Didn't mean to offend you Bell, I was just wondering if the spell effected you at all, it didn't seem to for Cissy either, weird. Anyway, this is really a very simple task."

"There is no way to bring them back Harry,"

"That's not true, there is a way to bring them back and your particular skill will be the way to do it."

"What skill?"

"Obliviation."

Bell frowned, "I fail to see what that has to do with anything, or how you knew I could do that."

"When I removed the mark we connected for a while, I know you pretty well Bell, which is one of the reasons that you and I are getting along so well."

She looked at him steadily for a long moment, "Tell me what you want me to do."

Harry smiled at her and began to explain his theory to her.

By time, he was finished Bell was looking at him as if he was something amazing to say the least. "That might actually work!" she exclaimed in shock.

"I think it will definitely work. It is going to take you all night though Bell, and maybe into the morning as well. I am going to stand guard and keep an eye on you. If I feel that your magic is waning I will feed some more into you. To do that, I will have to touch you, and you need to be aware of that. It wouldn't do to become surprised while you're working."

Bell nodded her agreement, "Indeed it would not, for them or me."

"Exactly, now I'm just starting to find out I like you. I don't want anything happening to you now."

Bell smirked, "Of course it has nothing to do with my ability to deep throat?"

Harry just smiled at her, but his eyes were lidded and the look in them told Bell tomes of information on how much he had enjoyed that.

"If this works, after I have recovered- I want another shagging, just so you know." Bell told him seriously, though her eyes were laughing at him.

Harry smirked, "Then we had best begin, but after today I'm busy for a few days."

"If this works, I will be flat out for a few days; if it fails I may be out a lot longer." Bell said with a heavy sigh, she glanced at her patients and back at Harry. "If I do this, you and I are good?"

Harry nodded, "We'll be better than good, we're already good."

She smiled at him, which just went to remind him how lovely she really was. Then she nodded and squared her shoulders, "Okay, let's do this."

-#-

Harry idled along on his board through the silent hallways of Hogwarts. It had indeed taken Bell all night to do the task he had set out for her. She had then collapsed through magical and mental exhaustion. Harry had then taken her back to Black Castle and gotten Cissy to look after her sister. He had topped up her power levels of course, but she would be asleep for some time. Cissy had laid into him about 'hurting' her sister despite his claims that she was not hurt. It had to be done though, more for his own peace of mind than anything else.

The spell he had performed gave her a chance at a new life, free from the stigma of her past life. That said it had essentially wiped the slate clean and it was not really his place to do that. What he had done, he had done out of a sense of trying just a little to make up for that.

It was not much, but at least it was something. He sensed Bell had known that too, and for her joking he felt that she wanted to do it for the same reasons as he did. In truth, he would have been able to do that himself. It was not as if he did not know how to Obliviate someone after all, it was just better that Bell had done it.

He weaved the board a little, sending a Banishing charm at the back of the board and speeding it up a little. He had a fair bit to do that day, not the least of which was get something to eat. He suspected that he was not going to get much sleep in the next few days. It was Friday already, meaning tomorrow he had a party to go to and that tonight he intended to see Parvati.

Damn, but that girl could kiss.

-#-

Harry sat at the breakfast table, eating enough for three. With all that had happened recently, he had not eaten very much. He was drawing some amused glances for sure. His eyes tracked an owl as it flew overhead, it was not a normal post owl, and they had been and gone. He hoped this was a specific owl; it went to Professor Dumbledore who took the note and read it quickly. A smile graced the old teachers face and then he stood up, "Neville Longbottom!"

Neville looked up, worried that he had gotten into trouble already though he had no idea how. His school life was quite relaxed of late; even Professor Snape was not laying into him anymore. Dumbledore crooked a finger at him and for the first time in his school career Neville approached the head table.

Harry watched as the young man and elderly Headmaster spoke for a long moment, a bright smile appeared on Neville's face and he virtually ran from the great hall. Whispers followed in his wake but Neville was too far gone to listen to them at all.

Harry meanwhile had a vaguely serene smile on his face. They were awake and sane- there was a long way to go until they were 'well' since they had lost 16 or so years, but Frank and Alice Longbottom could once more be with their son.

Harry just wished there was more he could do.

-#-

Parvati could not believe how nervous she felt, standing outside Gryffindor common room late at night waiting for Harry. She had wanted this, did want this. Now she came to do it there were butterflies in her stomach. In truth, had she stayed kissing Harry for a moment longer the other day she would have had sex with him. No two ways about that, and that was also making her a little nervous because she knew that if they started kissing again- She was his.

She had a small satchel on her shoulder filled with a few things she was going to spring on Harry. Things that she was sure he would like as well. She would like it for sure, she longed to see what he looked like with no clothes on, to feel those hard muscles of his under her hands. She repressed a delicious shiver at the thought and wondered if he would want to see her naked. She suspected that he would not be adverse to it at all, he was after all male and she was attractive. She knew many of the blokes in school would like to get to the point Harry had done. They never would, Harry was different, special in ways no one else really measured up. Not in her eyes at least, she had been utterly crushed that he had shown no interest in her back at the Yule Ball. Now it appeared he was showing interest and she had a second chance.

It honestly did not bother her that he saw other women, not in the least. Her father had more than one wife and a few mistresses; it was not an alien concept to her at all. She suspected that her father would like it if she did become one of Harry's wives, or a member of his Harem. Harry had political power, magical power and a lot of money and fame. These were desirable traits in a future husband after all.

She felt the air move beside her and looked in that direction worried that Filch was active or something. Her face split in to a beautiful smile when she saw Harry standing there, his eyes intent and seeming to sear into her soul with emerald fire.

She opened her mouth to say hello when he held up a hand, looking backwards. Then suddenly she was in his arms and standing somewhere else entirely. The feel of his magic around her had turned her on by itself. God alone knew what it would be like when he began kissing her again.

"Sorry about that," Harry said with a charming smile, "I thought one of the prefects was on the way."

Parvati smiled at him, "That's fine." Her eyes drifted away from her own personal wet dream and looked around the area they inhabited. It was very Slytherin in colouring, but she was not worried about that. She knew she was safe with Harry and that he would not trick her or anything. "Nice place."

"Thanks, I like it I will admit. These," he said with a grand gesture of his hands, "are Slytherin's private quarters. You can only remember this place if you are a Parselmouth though. Still, I think it's pretty cool."

She smiled again, putting down her bag and taking off her outer robe. Harry's eyes took her in and a smile stretched his lips, "Damn Parvati"

"What," She asked him with a smirk, "I KNOW you like this sort of clothing."

She was dressed much as she had been when they went clubbing, in other words a blisteringly tight top and short skirt and heels that made her legs impossibly long and toned. He smiled at her sexily, "It sure brings back a nice memory."

"Perhaps you could make me another statuette to celebrate the occasion," she told him, her voice dropping in register slightly, and her eyes fixed on his.

"Think my imagination may ruin the outcome."

"How so?"

"Because currently I can't get the image of those legs wrapped around me; out of my head."

"Well, we should make your imagination come to life don't you think," Parvati said and promptly jumped up onto him, her legs wrapping around his waist and her lips attaching to Harry's. They kissed for a long moment, Harry's hands cupping her backside and holding her against him.

Parvati pulled back slightly, her mouth slightly open and her eyes filled with desire, "The things you do to me Harry, the things you do." she told him in barely above a whisper before she kissed him with great passion again.

Harry just held her up; she weighed hardly a thing, and enjoyed the feel of her kissing him like that. She was a surprise for sure. He had thought she would not be interested in him after the Lavender blow up. It was obvious from the way her long legs were wrapped around his waist that he was wrong about that. She broke the kiss again, pulling back and looking at him with a heated gaze. "Is there somewhere you could lie down?"

"I could lie down?" Harry asked for clarification, which he got in the form of a nod, he smiled and nodded.

"Show me," Parvati asked him her eyes twinkling as she got off him and grabbed her bag.

With a small smile, Harry led her to the main bedroom, the master bedroom in fact. She looked around, "Looks like you've stayed here before," she commented taking in the fact he had a few clothes and things lying around.

"The Dorm is a bit- urh- confusing at the moment," he told her truthfully, "I'm fairly sure Ron doesn't know if he should hit me again, or perhaps shake my hand."

Parvati laughed lightly, "I suspect the hitting will win out, since you did snog his sister."

"I didn't- Actually you know, I did only today, so I really can't say that anymore."

Parvati looked at him and laughed, "What possessed you to risk that?"

Harry smiled, "She was being very, urh,"

"Don't worry; I think I get what you are trying to say. We all had a betting pool once that you and she would get married before you left school."

"You're joking, please tell me you're joking," Harry said with a faintly horrified expression.

"Not the marrying kind or just not marrying one woman kind of bloke?" Parvati teased him with a big smile, so he knew it was only a tease.

"I don't know how to answer that," he admitted with a smirk. "So, why did you bring me to the bedroom?" he asked with a slight waggle of his eyebrows.

"I want to give you something, well a couple of things, but this for starters." Parvati said and reached in to her bag and pulled out a potion pot.

"What's that?" Harry asked curiously, taking the offered pot and looking it over.

"Uncork it, take a sniff," She told him her eyes twinkling mysteriously.

Harry did as he was asked, and took a sniff, "Mint," he identified, "Do I drink it?"

"I wouldn't," Parvati said with a smirk, "No, I put it on you and then lick it off."

Harry's smile became sexy, "Now that sounds like a lot of fun, do I get to put it on you afterwards?"

Parvati just smirked and took the bottle back, stepping into his personal space. "Not tonight, tonight is my little gift to you; consider it a personal thank you."

"For what," Harry asked curiously, as he could not think of a single thing.

Parvati laughed, "Oh, my Hero is so clueless to his deeds." She told him lightly mocking him, she made up for that with a kiss, and she began to work the buttons on his shirt. She did not break the kiss until they were both well and truly worked up and she had managed to get all his buttons undone. She ran her hands down his chest with a charged look in her eye, "Such a beautiful body," she breathed.

"Shouldn't that be my line?"

"Do you think I have a beautiful body?"

"Yes, I certainly do," Harry told her, kissing her gently and let his hands wander a bit running from her shoulders down her arms then onto her hips and follow the curve upwards.

"Oh god, I'm not going to be able to do this if you don't stop that." Parvati said breaking off the kiss, "I'll just throw you down and have at it."

"That doesn't sound like it's a bad thing," Harry told her moving to kiss her again; she stopped him with a finger on his lips.

"Please, I want to do this for you," she breathed, "Another time, we'll do the throwing down."

Harry nodded and smiled, "I'll behave, probably," he told her with smiling eyes.

"I didn't say you had to totally behave," Parvati said, pulling her top over her head in one single movement.

Harry's breath caught in his throat, "Wow," he breathed. She had gone without a bra that day, that was the first thing Harry realized and she had the most silken café au lait skin he had ever seen, to the point that his hand was aching to touch it. It was moving of its own accord until he caught it and placed it back at his side. She looked at him, a little vulnerable, a little sensual and a lot beautiful. He looked her over, marvelling at the tone on her stomach, the definition of her curves and finally his eyes fixed to her breasts. She shifted a little under his gaze, feeling somewhat self-conscious, but she wanted him to see her as no other man had, it meant something to her that he was the first. Her breasts were modestly sized, perfectly formed and tipped with dark brown nipples that stood proud and slightly hardened.

"Harry," Parvati asked, her tone worried since he had fallen utterly silent, "Harry?"

"You are astoundingly beautiful," Harry told her, moving forward and sweeping her into a passionate kiss, his tongue roving into her mouth and toying with her tongue. They kissed passionately for a long moment, her breasts flattened against him where he had a hold of her tightly, skin to skin.

Harry broke off the kiss and smiled, "You did say, I didn't have to totally behave."

She smiled at him with a sensual look in her eyes, and then her hands went to her waistband of her small skirt. Harry smiled, and got the idea, item for item it seemed. Therefore, he quickly kicked off his shoes and worked his belt, eyes fixed to her.

She smiled, turned around and bent over slowly, taking the skirt down as she bent. A delectable pert backside was shown in its naked glory to Harry's hungry eyes. He smirked, and darted forward, giving her a playful bite on the bum.

She giggled at him, but did not turn. She waited until he backed off, arched her back and looked back at him over her shoulder, "A biter hey?" she asked, her tone low, sexy and charged with intent.

Harry was unable to talk at that moment; he was utterly blown away by her pose. She turned slowly, revealing more Parvati flesh to his eyes with every passing moment, until she was stood only in a pair of high heels and astoundingly beautiful.

'I MUST Have Her,' went through Harry's mind like a foghorn going off, and he did have to have her and right there and then would be good. He had told her he would be good though, this was her show tonight, another night though and he was going to make her scream his name, he promised himself that.

She stepped forward, her palms pressing on his pectorals and pushing slightly. He let himself fall back on the bed, and she reached to the waistband of his boxers and pulled them off.

"Oh baby," she breathed, licking her lips and her dark eyes molten with desire as she eyed him.

"That's pretty much what I was thinking," Harry told her his voice a little ragged.

"I will give you my virginity Harry that I promise you. But not tonight, is that alright?" she asked, looking deliciously vulnerable again.

"Of course it is Parv; I would never make you do something you don't want to do."

She smiled at him, moving forward enough so she could reach out and take a hold of his manhood, he gasped as she did so. "I want to," she told him in a sensual tone, "More than you would believe Harry, I want to just climb on top of you and sink onto this beauty. I want to kiss it, stroke it, own it and feel it inside of my body's heat, I want to suck it and lick it and oh god I'm wet."

Harry was breathing hard by this point, she had delivered that in such a charged tone it was taking all his self-control not to throw her over the bed and fuck her stupid. "I want you to," he told her his voice rough, "I REALLY want you to, and I want to touch you from head to toe, kiss your body and I want to see the face you make as you climax, I want to put myself into your body and just slide in and out so slow it will be torture. It will be such a good torture though that we will never want to stop. I want to explore every single one of your pleasure points and trigger them; god Parv let me- please."

She was now breathing hard as well, she shook her head her long black silken tresses moving around her head in a wave, "Soon, tonight let's do a different type of torture." She told him, reaching over with her spare hand to get the potions bottle. Then she uncorked it again, and letting go of him reluctantly she put a small amount into the palm of her hand. "Just relax," she told him, straddling his thighs. His cock was straining to get to her, apparently all of its own accord.

He chuckled slightly, "How am I to relax when you're so close, beautifully naked, and I ache to touch you."

She smiled at him, "You can touch me all you want Harry, but - you're not to get up."

He smiled crookedly at her, "You're evil, and you know that right?"

She laughed gaily, and leaned forward a little, a breasts moving in interesting ways. Then she rubbed her hands together and laid them on his chest.

He breathed in a shocked gasp as the potion hit his skin, "It's cool, and tingles like- oh god that feels good."

She smiled at him sexily, "Old family recipe," she told him, "It's for sensual massage, it's not actually for licking off, but it's safe to do so, it's edible. Apparently, after a while of massage, you may- urm-"

"Pop off?"

"Possibly," she said with a slight shrug that made her breasts move again. Harry's hand came up by itself, touching her soft flesh, cupping her in his palm, his thumb tracing the curve and swell. Her eyes drooped as she breathed in harshly; her hands though, kept working in the potion. She moaned as he used thumb and forefinger to gently tweak her nipple, before he just felt the texture of it with his thumb. Her hands glided across his upper body, her eyes still closed as she worked. "That's good," she told him as he traced a fingernail around the circumference of her nipple. "That's really good," she breathed heavily as he tweaked her again.

Harry smiled, watching as it got larger and harder under his ministrations. His shaft was now lying across her thigh so close to her moistness he could feel the heat of her. The tingle from the potion had worked into a dull roar now and he was so painfully hard he was aching. He swallowed hard as she moved her hands lower on his body, the slick feel of them sending thrills throughout his body. There was no sound other than their breathing and the occasional expiration of pleasure from them both. It was intimate, charged and very sensual an atmosphere.

This was a new experience for Harry in truth, sensuality was less well known to him as pure sexuality. She slid back a bit, hands moving below his waistline. His hand fell to his side, his pleasurable toy lost to his reach by her rules. She opened her eyes, smiling at him slightly, and her eyes liquid with emotion. She worked on his thighs, by passing his manhood but her eyes kept going back to it. Suddenly, she let out a groan, moving forward she just kissed the tip her hair falling down over his thigh, and then she moved away, her hair stroking his crown on the way past. He let out a gasp, as the two sensations had been a shock and they had felt good, very good.

"Sorry," she breathed, "I couldn't help that," she told him, going back to working in the potion into his thigh and then to his knee.

Harry smiled, "I assure you, I didn't mind a bit."

She smiled slightly, "Apparently, according to the notes, if I put this on your-" she nodded at his erection. "I can suck it off and that feels really good- apparently."

Harry's mind was filled with images of her doing just that and his cock jerked.

"OH!" she said in surprise, and then smiled sexily, "Like that idea do you? I'll have to find out how to suck you then, I don't know how right now."

Harry gulped, "Need practice, anytime anywhere, feel free Parv,"

She chuckled, a throat and very nice sound, "Anywhere? So under a desk, in the common room? Or will you bring me here for me to suck that cock of yours, hmmm?"

"You're driving me insane, you know that right?"

"I can stop, if you want?"

"No, no, I didn't say I wasn't enjoying the loss of my sanity now did I?" Harry replied breathing a little harder as the potion worked its magic on his body.

She chuckled that sexy throaty chuckle again, moving to his other leg as she did so, moving with erotic speed upwards. "Now who do I ask," she wondered aloud, her eyes going back to his shaft again.

Harry blinked back his lust a moment "Ask what?"

"How to suck cock."

"That just made me even MORE turned on you saying that," Harry told her with a slight laugh, "You are- so sexy Parv, damn I've never been this hard in my life."

"It is hard," she agreed, "So very big and hard, I'm not sure how it will fit in my mouth."

Harry groaned at her and she chuckled again, "Or my pussy, come to think of it, but I expect I'll stretch to accommodate you."

"Oh god Parv!"

"Because I am going to fit it in, and soon, oh god am I ever going to," she breathed.

"It'll fit, I promise you that," Harry told her, eyes now open and looking at her with an almost wild amount of lust in them.

She worked her hands up his thigh moving to his shaft, the sensation was almost too much to take; her hand and the potion combined were a heady combination. "Hmm, I'd better use both hands," she said in a teasing tone.

"Parv," Harry growled playfully at her.

She chuckled that chuckle again, both hands moving up and down, rubbing in the potion. Harry's hips moved a little with the motion; it was getting harder to think now. Harder to control himself and hard not to just let go. "My face could do with a treatment…" she trailed off leadingly then smiled, "They say cum is good for the skin."

"That's it!" Harry said moving forward his lips attached to hers even as she still had a hold of him. She kept working his shaft even as he kissed her passionately, but harder now as she began to lose control as well. Her hands moving with less focus but faster even at the odd angle they were at, Harry hands went to her breasts palpating both with his palms. She moaned into his mouth, her tongue sliding over his as they kissed. The sensations from the potion on his cock now pushing Harry towards his climax and they had hardly done anything. She pulled back, her eyes dark and sensual; "Lay back," she ordered in a charged tone, and then added, "Please," in a softer one.

Harry looked at her for a long moment, as he pulled himself back under some control, and then did as she asked.

Her hands stopped moving and she moved up his body a bit, "I'm so hot and so moist for you right now Harry I could take you easily," she told him, moving her lower body to hover over his shaft.

Harry looked at her, mentally screaming for her to lower herself down onto him. She looked like she really wanted to, her eyes wild with desire, desire for him. Which is when he realized he could not let her; if he did then she would be upset afterwards. She might not regret it, but then again she might, she had said not tonight, she wanted to it was there in her eyes, she wanted to badly.

She began lowering down, her outer labia touching his crown, parting and she was not lying she was so wet and heated. She smiled, and breathed in starting to push down.

"Stop!"

She stopped, looking at him with a slightly hurt expression. So he pushed on quickly, "I don't want you to regret your first time," he said with a rough voice, "I want you to keep going more than I can honestly verbalize, but if you do you might regret it. You said you did not want to tonight, or rather that we wouldn't tonight, that may haunt you. When we do this and by god, we will do this, I want you do have no regrets. I want you to look back and say, that was the best sex I've ever had and I loved every minute of it with no reservations."

She came to a total stop, and then moved back upwards and back, removing herself from his crown. He felt the loss of her heat keenly, the moistness from her sex still glittering on the end of his manhood. He wanted to grab her, throw her down and bury himself into her body, but he did not. There in her eyes was shock, and gratitude, a little disappointment but some relief, so he knew he had just done the right thing.

She beamed at him, "I think I'm falling for you, just so you know," she said seemingly out of the blue. "I'd bet no other man would've done that then, I would have definitely shagged you right then, no doubt about it, but you're right, this is not what I had planned, not tonight at least, and there's something else you're right about-"

"-What's that?"

"-We will have sex, and soon, I'm going to love it, and I will look back and think dear god that was good. That said I want in your harem my darling hero, so in years to come I'll look back and think- That was the first best sex of my life with my darling hero, and god what a good long life of fucking we've had since."

Harry moved to her and kissed her tenderly and with some heat along for the ride, "Welcome to Harry's Harem then," he said with a chuckle and a smile.

She smiled, "Turn over and let me finish the massage then, master."

"Master?"

"Isn't that the correct form of address for the owner of a Harem, or perhaps My Lord?"

"I am a Lord, but I'm not lordly, nor am I anyone's master, unless you like it that way," Harry said with a wink as he turned over and lay down on the bed.

Parvati laughed happily at him, "I'll stick to Harry then shall I?"

Harry smiled unseen as his face was buried in the bedclothes. Then all of a sudden, he yelped moving up on his elbow one hand going to his bum.

Parvati smirked at him as he looked over his shoulder at him, "What's good for the goose…"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Harry watched the breakfast post being delivered, wincing slightly as he did so. Hermione noticed the discomfort and looked at him with a concerned expression, "Are you alright Harry?" she asked.

He smiled at her, "I'm more than fine Hermione," he told her his voice a bit of a purr, "Just some after effects from a potion." he said, and his voice loud enough that it just carried to Parvati. The beautiful Indian girl turned towards him, her eyes dancing and holding the knowledge of why he was wincing. He would have to have words with her later about after effects, as pleasurable as they may be. They could also be embarrassing and slightly painful since he was sat down. Spontaneous erections and sudden bouts of pleasure were not the easiest things to deal with. Luckily, he had no class that day, and it was the night of Halloween. For a change, he doubted there would be some form of trouble for him, or that is what he hoped at least. He had killed Voldemort and the Inner Circle was on the run, he doubted that would last forever, but for now peace reigned.

"Anything I can help you with," Hermione went on to ask.

He smiled sexily at her, she could certainly help him but probably best not to be doing that at the breakfast table, "Not right at this moment," he demurred, he was feeling exceptionally mellow and at the same time very horny that day. Parvati had indeed made him climax last night, but it had taken more than the potion and he seriously appreciated her going that extra mile for him. She had talented hands, he would give her that, and with the way, she kissed… He winced again at that thought as it had just managed to make him even more turned on.

He struggled for control for a moment, and then distraction came in the form of a large parcel being landed into his breakfast. He eyed the four large and bright green owls balefully, and then smirked since they had already had their punishment in the form of Fred and George's colour scheme. There was just no way in hell that he was letting them design the colour scheme for the new, yet, unnamed company.

Ignoring the indignantly hooting owls, he used his breakfast knife to cut the bindings of the parcel under the watchful eyes of Hermione. Ron had given up glaring at him and was sat several places down from where he normally sat. Harry was not too sure how to take Ron's continued anger at him. On one hand, he could be angry himself, but not that morning he was too mellow. On the other hand, he could be upset, but after Parvati's gifts, and boy did she give great gifts, he did not feel the slightest bit upset. So he settled for ignoring him, it reminded him of the Goblin of Fire fiasco in a way. That was another situation where Ron had taken him as guilty despite Harry's protestations of innocence. Of course, if Ron knew that he had snogged his sister willingly not that long ago he would have a right to be angry perhaps. Given the way Harry thought these days, it was quite likely he would do a damn site more than kiss the girl if she started to chase him again. His only saving grace there was that she would hold off until she was 'legal' her words, so that gave him time. Time for what he had no idea; he saw no easy way of dealing with the Weasley brothers, except Fred and George who had already given their warning. Oddly enough, the twins seemed to be the more down to earth of the bunch of them.

Putting aside his thoughts and the knife he had used, Harry opened the box and stood up to look inside. His face split into a smile, "Damn they work fast," he commented in an aside to Hermione.

"What is it?" she asked him, standing and moving closer to have a look in the box, "Good grief, they do work fast."

"Take one," Harry said, "Oh, actually, not yet; I've just had an idea," he told her.

Hermione looked at him with a smile, "Your ideas of late tend to rock the world in some fashion."

"Not this time," he told her with a smirk, "Well, it will help me to rock your world in the future I hope," he added in a conspiratorial whisper with an edge of sexiness to it.

Hermione blushed prettily at him, but her eyes spoke volumes on what she thought of the idea. "What are you going to do?"

"If I'm right, the Operating System stuff is in amongst those papers at the bottom. I'm going to change it and add a spell." He told her without really explaining himself.

"What's the spell going to do? Or is it a spell form of that trick of yours, that could be distracting," she mused with a twinkle in her eye, "Ring, ring, oh my god!" she pantomimed with a laugh.

Harry let out a bark of extremely amused laughter, then said, "Nothing like that, but it's an interesting thought," he told her, "I'll tell you - when I've worked it all- actually, I have something for you," he said suddenly patting down his pockets. Then he handed her a scroll of parchment, "I doubt you need it though, but it helps me."

Hermione half frowned in puzzlement and took the roll of parchment. She unrolled it onto the table, and it ended up being about 6 inches by 4 inches, about the size of a normal photograph. On it where numbers and a box at the top, "What is it?" she asked him.

"Something I was toying with a while ago, then I had trouble in Arithmancy, the formulae and all that are fine, for obvious reasons I can do that, but mental calculations are beyond my ken. So I made that gizmo, it's really very simple, but think of the possibilities…" he trailed off looking at her intently.

She looked at the parchment for a very long moment, and then suddenly her eyes shot wide open, "No way," she breathed, then with a slightly shaking hand she reached out and tapped the one on the paper.

A corresponding one appeared in fine script in the box at the top. She then went on to type 2,3,4,5,6,7,8, then hit the small plus sign and typed the number backwards making, 87654321. She looked at Harry with a question in her expression.

He smiled encouragingly at her, but before she hit the equals sign she said, "If this works, I will be forced to kiss you in public you do realise."

"I have no problem with that Hermione," Harry told her with a smirk.

She hit the button, her mouth opening in shock as the script flowed and changed into, 99999999. Then she smiled radiantly and threw her arms around him hugging him and laying kisses on his face. Then finally, she kissed his lips and backed off with a blush. It was very chaste, but it was the first public sign that something was happening between them, in other words- it was a big thing. "Damn you're clever."

"I'm really not," Harry, told her, "I did it because my mental arithmetic stinks, but think about what it means-" he trailed off meaningfully.

Hermione pouted thoughtfully, ignoring the curious stares being directed at them. In some cases, it was curious, some it was pleased and in one case, in particular it was a jealous as all hell glare.

Ron was frowning thoughtfully, a slightly worried expression on his face. He had meant what he had told Lavender though, he honestly did not think of Hermione like that, well- not that much. It was a strange sight to see Hermione and Harry so- close though. He looked over to his girlfriend who was sat across from him a large frown appearing on his face when he saw the expression on her face. He was not that good with women, he did not know how to read them well, but a blind man could have seen the jealous and slightly longing look Lavender was shooting Hermione and Harry at that moment. Perhaps Bill was right after all, there was something going on with Harry and Lavender, something more on Lavenders half than Harrys'. This needed thinking about for sure, but he did not want to loose her either. He was sure he loved her in fact; loosing her may very well break his heart in half.

"Oh My God!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, "You're talking about computers?"

Harry beamed at her, "You're so sexy when you're being smart did anyone ever tell you that?"

"No," Hermione said with a chuff of amusement.

"Well, I just did," Harry, said seriously, not liking that she did not take a compliment, or the reasons that were possibly behind that. "I bloody mean it as well, so remember that."

Hermione blushed again, looking demure, then she looked at the parchment again, "How do I get to the spells?" she asked.

"Picking apart your gift?" Harry asked with a sardonic lilt to his tone, he cut off any reply by handing her another roll of parchment; this one had a few sheets to it, "Another Calculator and all the Arithmancy and Rune work involved broken down for you. I figure you can work out the basics for this one," he told her with a smirk, "It took me bloody ages to get it working in the first place, but I expect you'll crack the idea easily enough. I do know one very important thing though."

"Hmm?" Hermione said in a distracted tone as she was sitting down and reading his scrawled notes.

"Thanks to that- download you made me do, I know about Quantum, and more importantly Qubits."

Hermione paled and looked at him with a very serious expression on her face, "You can't be serious."

"No - I'm Harry. Seriously though, why not, what else but magic could study something without showing it was?"

"Harry- I mean- Seriously, if you're right-" she trailed off, shaking her head and sending her hair flying around her.

Harry smiled, "Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not. Either way, it should be something to have a look at non?"

"Oui," she said with a smirk, "I'll get on that, after the weekend."

"Why after the weekend, in particular?" Harry asked her looking at her a little surprised.

"Well, I know you're busy tonight," Hermione said with a smile, "But tomorrow- You're mine, all day long, or else."

Harry grinned at her, "Apart from one short trip to the twins," he said tapping the box, "You're on."

Hermione beamed, so he knew he had just said the right thing to her.

-#-

Harry looked at himself in the full-length mirror he had conjured. He was standing in the Headmasters office in Black Castle. Beside him, Sal was clapping at him with a wide smile; beside him was Rowena Ravenclaw who was eyeing him with appreciation. "Very interesting, is that what was it you called them- Muggle thing?" Rowena asked.

Harry smiled over his shoulder at her, "It is, you don't think I look like a prat do you?"

"I think probably not," Rowena said with a throaty laugh that was as sexy as she looked, as in very. "I think your - urm- date, for the evening will appreciate the effort you've gone into."

"I hope they do," Harry said pulling at the collar of his shirt.

Sal laughed, "They," he asked with a big smile, "You're as bad as Myrthyn was," he noted.

"I'm told it's a dragon thing," Harry told him, "The males build Harems."

"Are you, building a Harem that is?" Rowena asked.

Sal cut her a look, "Be still wench you're in a portrait after all," he said, his eyes smiling at his wife.

She shrugged, "He's very nice to look at," she noted, "I was curious to know who he has chosen actually."

"Not so much chosen as they have chosen," Harry admitted with a grin, he could not get over the fact that people wanted him like that. "Cissy and Bell a certain, Hermione too, Parvati wants in as well. I'm not too sure right now who else is interested."

"Impressive, you are a Lord correct?" Sal asked, they had discussed his situation not too long ago, but he wanted to check his facts.

"Yes, and I have a Barony from the Blacks, I've also got a Order of Merlin which means I'm a sodding Knight as well, but then so is Albus so at least I won't suffer alone."

"Well, there are three different ways by the old laws, if they've not been rescinded, that you can legally take more than one wife." Rowena told Harry, beating her husband to the punch by a nanosecond. Sal glared at her reproachfully but she smiled at him and melted his ire completely.

Harry turned to face them, "From what Cissy was telling me they still have some form of ceremony for that. So I would guess the laws are still in place."

Sal shrugged, "Doesn't really matter anyway," he told Harry, then got a curious look from his wife and Harry both so he went on. "Even if the laws are rescinded, you may take one lawful wife and as many 'Mistresses' as you damn well please. It was accepted practice back in our day," he glanced at his wife, "Of course not something I partook in you understand," he added quickly.

Harry snorted a laugh, "Well, I think that probably still happens, not sure about the legalities involved in that though."

"Strictly speaking- its fine, adultery is the act of sex on part of the woman, and it has to be penetrated sexual intercourse." Rowena told him, "Horrible and antiquated, but true, at least in our world. I know for a fact that is still true from a fascinating conversation I overheard between McGonagall and Dumbledore."

Harry shivered, "I hesitate to ask what brought that conversation on," he said then smirked, "either way, I don't give a fu- flying frilly about that. I will do as I please and the world can go spit, we will all come live on the island or something if push comes to shove. We're independent here after all, a law unto ourselves."

"Oh yes," Sal said with a eureka face, "I'd forgotten that, The Isle of Black is self regulated, not a part of the British isles, or whatever it's called these days, I doubt that has changed since no one knows it exists really."

"There you go then, all bases covered," Harry said with a ticking motion of his hand. "Do I need the mask do you think?"

"Oh yes," Rowena said quickly, "Leave that on, makes you look mysterious."

Sal looked at his wife again, with some amusement, "I think she's smitten," he noted wryly to the accompaniment of being whacked on the shoulder.

"And they say we're the violent sex," Harry noted with a smirk, knowing damn well she could not hit him.

She glared for a moment playfully, and then said, "I may not be able to hit you myself, but I suspect I could ask someone to punish you on my behalf."

Harry winked at her, "I might like it."

"Must you flirt with my wife," Sal asked with wry amusement colouring his tone.

"No, but it's an awful lot of fun to do so," Harry replied with a grin, then let out a sigh, "Damn, tonight is the first time in a while I've been to a formal dance thing." he said, a dark cloud coming over him for a moment before he snapped out of it, "Anyway, should be fun, Daphne and Tracey in particular are amazing fun to be around."

"Those are not names you mentioned as being a part of your Harem," Rowena noted.

"Nope, they aren't, are they," Harry said with a grin, "Right," he glanced at his watch, "I'd better get a move on then," he squared his shoulders. Striking a mocking pose at the mirror, then he deflated and shook his head, "I must be insane," he noted wryly.

-#-

Harry appeared in Sal's Quarters and stopped breathing. Tracey was there, just as arranged with Daphne in tow and they were standing beside each other facing him as he arrived. "I- am the luckiest man in Hogwarts." Harry said with a smile, "That I should have two such beautiful companions for the evening."

Tracey smiled at him, "You're actually getting smoother do you know that?" she asked and did a twirl, "What do you think?"

She was dressed as the Muggle idea of a witch, or possibly a witch in a porno. She was head to toe in black, very high heels on her feet and black stockings. Harry knew they were stockings because the garter belt holding them up was just visible on occasion, as she turned through the high split on her floor length dress. The dress itself was plain, but on Tracey and filled out with her curves it was anything but plain. Her hair was in a do around her head, a little wild and it had obviously taken magic to make it stand like that. Her make up was dark and a little gothic, but oddly enough, it suited her. Her bright blue eyes positively shone in her face and her cheeks were sculpted by her make up.

"Wow, is what I think Tracey, you're beautiful and sexy as all hell." Harry told her, she smiled sultrily at him and held out her hand to Daphne.

"What do you think of Daphne?" she asked teasingly a laugh in her tone and a smile on her face.

What did he think, apart from phwoar, it would be difficult to vocalise.

Continuing the saucy, slash, porno theme, Daphne was dressed as a nurse. Where Tracey was in black, she was in white. Again with very high heels on her feet, long legs encased in white nylon and as she did a twirl her short dress kicked up to show hold ups. Her curves were emphasised by the uniform, pristine white, with a bright blue belt. She had a small nurse cap on her shining blond locks and her make up was bright and sexy. Fire engine lips, her eyes brought up a bit with some dark eyeliner and her hair was in a wave down her back. Harry had never really realised how long her hair was up until that point.

"I think," Harry said after clearing his throat, "That not a single bloke will be looking at their own dates tonight. Daphne, you are stunningly sexy and astoundingly beautiful, you two will be the apple of every eye tonight and I am Proud that I will be your escort."

Daphne blinked, and then smiled at him. Tracey nudged her side, "I told you," she said to her partner, "He's something else isn't he?"

Daphne was still smiling when she said, "I think it is us, who are proud tonight Pot- Harry, you look amazing, what is that costume?"

"I do not think him is, what you think him is," Tracey noted wryly.

Daphne shot her friend a curious look, followed closely by Harry though his look was one of total shock. She caught the look and smirked, "I did say my family is closely tied to the Muggle world."

"Yeah, but I figured you meant via business or something, to know this movie though we're talking a bit more involvement than I thought a pure blood would have," Harry noted then he smiled, "I'm pleasantly surprised I have to admit."

She smiled at him and the two shared a moment of heat, then Daphne cut in with, "I still don't know the costume though."

"Well, wait until you see the Muggle Born's reactions," Tracey said, "Then I will tell you, I promise."

Daphne nodded, "Alright then, shall we be off?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. You know I'm glad I'm armed, I feel that I may have to fight off suitors away from you two tonight." Harry noted with got him some wide smiles.

-#-

A well-known band other than the Weird Sisters was playing up a storm on the stage and teenagers were bopping around in their finery. There was a nice mix of Muggle and Wizarding costumes around the place, a lot of Merlin's, some of the founders and even a couple of slightly lesser known wizarding figures.

Unsurprisingly the Pure Blood tended towards the Wizarding with the Muggle-Born's going for Muggle, and a mix of both from the Half Bloods. There was some crossover thought, which was a sign that times may indeed have a chance to change.

There was an air of a real party building. With Harry's defeat of Voldemort the wizarding world was breathing out a much needed breath of fresh air. The younger generation was looking to kick back and party like crazy and the older were turning a blind eye. This was no more apparent than at Hogwarts, where some of the costume choices were risqué to say the least. Even the normally stern Professor McGonagall was not taking too much of a close look. However, there had been a case on one person going too far. They had come dressed as a Death Eater, showing remarkable bad taste and lack of intellect. They had been stunned stupid within moments of walking in the front door and then put on so much detention their children would be staying after school.

There was a break in the music and then suddenly the doors to the great hall slammed open, scaring the heck out of most present especially those closest to it. Three figures appeared back lit in the doorway and the entire hall became still for a blink of time.

"Well, Well, what a wonderful party," Harry said, his voice a well to do accent. "Shall we my dears," he added to his companions.

Male and female jaws dropped alike as the three walked in as if they owned the place. The click of high heel and the jangle of Harry's sword seemingly very loud in the sudden quiet of the hall.

"Well, I'm no expert, but shouldn't there be music and dancing?" Harry asked, still with the same accent and some serious irony.

The band got the clue and began to play again, it had just been coincidence but Harry's entrance could not have come at a better time. People went back to dancing with several shooting glances their way and smiling. Either with lecherous intent or at Harry's costume choice.

The trio walked towards the tables with the drinks on when, with an airy wave of Harry hand, the Hall's doors slammed shut once more. The fog remained though adding an otherworldly feel to the dance floor.

"I'm going to dance with my girlfriend," Tracey said suddenly, "Feel free to mingle, just make sure you remember who you came with," she said then kissed him grabbed Daphne and swept off to the dance floor.

Harry watched her go with a smile on his face, he really liked that girl, and he really- really did. With Tracey, everything just 'was' there was not any complications to her. She was a scheming and conniving little bugger, but frankly, he also liked that about her, because odd as it sounded, it was done to your face, not to your back. He grabbed himself some punch from the large ever-full bowl and sipped on it, looking around as he did so. Hermione was dancing with Neville, which was surprising but good to see. For one thing, Neville could actually dance and she seemed to be having fun. Neville himself was dressed as a very authentic Auror and looked like he was walking on air, which did Harry's heart some good to see.

Shockingly enough Hermione was dressed as Alice as in Wonderland. To leave it at that would be doing her an injustice though, For one thing the powder blue dress was only to mid thigh and puffed out at the bottom, curved to her form and floaty. Her hair was coloured to a darker tone, and her face was made up with eyeliner and fire engine red lipstick. She had black clumpy high heels on with a buckle, and her legs were adorned with knee-high stockings with a black bow on them. Quite honestly Harry had never seen Hermione so overtly sexy looking in his entire life and vowed to get a dance with her that evening, possibly asking her to hang on to that damn costume. He had seen her legs before; he had put her in a short skirt because he knew she had nice pins. Somehow, the nylon just shaped her legs in ways that were making a lot of the men drool.

In fact, as Harry looked around he noticed an odd sort of a theme in the place. He was actually surprised that the professors had not said anything in fact. Many of the female costumes where what could only be described as naughty with a hint of dangerously sexy.

Ginny for one was dressed in a way that Harry was sure Ron was having palpitations about. She was in her uniform, school that is, but it had been changed in ways that should be illegal and there was a lot of leg on display and enough cleavage that Harry was significantly re-evaluating her place in his life. She flashed him a sort of half-coy, half-sexy smile that made his own lips curl into a sexy smile, then got on with dancing with a red faced Colin. It was utterly hilarious to see the young Gryffindor trying to find somewhere to put his hands that would not either get him slapped by Ginny, or beaten up by Ron.

Ron and Lavender were nowhere to be seen, which was possibly because Ron had caught sight of Ginny and had to be calmed down before he made a scene. Which doubtless Lavender was managing in her usual fashion, Harry honestly had no problem with that. It was still a situation that could blow up at any given moment, but at least Ron was happy for the moment.

His eyes fell next to Cho. She had been avoiding him of late, to the point that he had given up trying to get to talk to her. If he were completely honest he wasn't that worried about not seeing her anymore, while she did have a very nice athletically toned body he wasn't missing the odd way she had sex. So far she had reverted to shooting him little looks, some a little lost looking. Those were the ones that worried him a little, he hoped she hadn't done something she now regretted. Which is why he had tried to talk to her, but had now stopped trying. She would come to him when she was ready, or she wouldn't, there was nothing much he could do about it either way. She looked damn fine though, dressed in a sexy little pirate costume that showed off her legs to marvellous effect and knee high boots that had her partner, some guy from Ravenclaw he'd never talked to, drooling on her. She didn't look to amused by his attention either.

He was tapped on the shoulder, distracting him from his perusal of the Hogwarts talent and he turned and stopped dead.

"Hello Harry," Luna said, her tone light and dreamy but her eyes were focused and bright.

Harry blinked and pulled his eyes up to hers. "Damn Luna, you look a-mazing."

She smiled brightly at him and did a little turn. "Do you like it, it's my Hobbergobble costume."

"Really," Harry said drawing out the word, "In Muggle-Land we call that a fairy costume, or perhaps an Angel one." he looked her up and down for a moment.

Her costume had feathery wings, not too large at the back, so perhaps it was an angel costume. However, other than the fact she looked heavenly she wasn't a good angel for sure. It was white, layered light material, like chiffon, with a cut out down the front to almost her navel, flashing cleavage Harry hadn't realised she had and high on the leg. Her feet had some high looking heels on that matched the costume and her legs seemed to be amazingly long for her relatively short height.

"Do you like it?" she asked, "I wore it for you, I did think about wearing something else, perhaps a bit daring but I decided on this instead."

"That's not daring?" Harry just had to ask her, a slight smile on his face, she was showing a fair bit of skin. If she didn't think this was daring he really wanted to know what she did think was daring.

"Oh no, I've got the wings - See?" she asked turning and showing him the wings he had already seen, "But I must research this Muggle Angel you mentioned, I never realised that Muggle's might have names for things I've been looking for."

She turned back to find that Harry's eyes had been firmly locked on her backside, a slight smile flitted on her mouth. "I do wish it were Christmas already, then I could steal you away and take advantage of that look in your eyes." she positively purred at him, which did things for his libido he didn't even want to think about when wearing such a tight pair of trousers.

"You know, there is a lot we can do that you don't have to be legal for," he replied his own voice honeyed.

Luna brightened up considerably, "You know there is something I've always wanted to try," she said leaning in to whisper.

"Oh?" Harry enquired, his voice matched to hers.

"I've always wanted to -" she leaned in and whispered so quietly no one could've heard her.

Harry's eyes widened in shock and he looked at her very seriously, "You've never done that?" he asked carefully keeping his voice neutral.

"A little one, never a proper one," she told him.

"I will definitely do that for you, now if you like," Harry said, angry in a way that no one could see the Luna eh saw all the time.

"What? Here?" she asked a small smile on her face.

Harry nodded to her very seriously, "I would consider it my pleasure in fact."

"Won't your urm dates be angry?" Luna asked him also seriously.

Harry smiled at her, "Not in the least I promise you."

She beamed at him, "Alright then," she said and leaned forward and closed her eyes.

Harry leaned into her holding her close with one hand behind her back, then gently pressed his lips to hers, moving them in sensual ways before pushing his tongue to her lips. She opened her lips a little and their tongues touched. Luna actually moaned and melted against him and held on tight as he kissed her with a French kiss for the first time in her life. Eventually he pulled back, not wanting to make too much of a scene and Luna looked at him with shining eyes, "I very much liked that."

"So did I," Harry assured her with a smile. "I'm more than a little surprised that no one has done that to you before, you're a gorgeous girl Luna,"

She beamed at him again, "Only you think that Harry, but I'm very glad you do." She looked around with a smirk, noticing the various looks she was getting, some jealous, some amused even a couple of slightly sad ones. "If you start a harem, I want in." she told him, laying a kiss on his cheek and skipping away.

Harry laughed to himself, and picked his punch back up. The night was already interesting and he had only just got there, god alone knew what it would get like as the evening wore on.

As he sipped on his beverage he resumed his perusal, noting some surprises. Pansy looked good, surprisingly so dancing with some guy Harry had no idea of, her costume a ball gown type affair that he assumed was after some wizarding figure of history or something. He honestly didn't recognise it though, either way it suited her somehow and she looked happy which was nice with all that had happened recently.

He spotted Dean Thomas and laughed, he was dressed as a Skate Boy, full baggy clothing and he even had his board with him. He looked good actually, and very relaxed chatting to Capelle. She was dressed as an authentic looking Rowena Ravenclaw and unsurprisingly Severus was dressed as Sal, no big shock there considering the portraits in the new staff tower. Or was that the very old but unused staff tower, either way they were a matched pair for obvious reasons. Harry didn't go over though, in truth the beautiful professor still worried him. She was ruthless in getting what she wanted, however benign those aims may be the way she went about them confused the hell out of Harry. Also he had this worrying favour to do for her and that was going to be a headache and a half he was sure.

He was getting friendly with Severus as well and he was a little worried that Capelle's flirtations and outright offerings wouldn't go down too well with the professor. Especially considering what had happened with Harry's mother and between Snape and his Father.

Just then Professor Dumbledore joined the three and Harry smiled. An obvious choice, but he didn't know of anyone that had a hope of carrying it off like Dumbledore did. He was in full Merlin regalia and looked the part form the tip of his pointy hat to the beard and lush robes. The aura of power around him was impressive to say the least and other than Harry himself no one had a hope of matching that sort of magical presence other than Merlin himself.

Dumbledore caught him looking and smiled, indicating that Harry should join them. With a slight, and hidden, sigh Harry walked across the dance floor and joined Dumbledore, Dean, Snape and worryingly Capelle.

He smiled as he walked up to the group, "Heya Mate, like the costume," Harry said tongue in cheek to Dean, "Something else from your misspent youth?" he asked.

Dean laughed, "Yep" he replied, "I had to ask mum to send me these and got Parv to enlarge them for me." he explained more fully, then put his board down, I'm going to try my luck with Katie Bell, if you'll excuse me," he added and wheeled, or rather glided, away.

Harry smirked, watching his friends progress with half and eye as he turned to the 'adults'. "So are you all enjoying yourselves professors?" he asked semi-formally.

"Indeed I am Harry, such- elaborate costume choices," Dumbledore noted wryly.

Harry snorted a laugh, "Yeah, or something along those lines for sure."

"And you, who might you be?" Capelle asked, eyeing his costume choice.

Harry smiled, "Not something that's all that well known out of Muggle circles, but I suppose you could say I'm a sort of Pirate," he told the beautiful woman.

Snape smirked, "And the blade?"

"Real, but not live," Harry said with a matching smirk, "Sal, good choice for a costume."

"I thought so, he seemed amused by my questions, and Rowena was being a little secretive with my lovely partner for the evening," Snape replied, glancing at the women in question.

Capelle smiled slightly, "We've just come from the common room you understand and she wanted to have a quick word, she knew your costume apparently."

"Yes, well I got changed - elsewhere," Harry said, "She was present to see it as it were."

Capelle smirked, "She wanted me to act as she would this evening."

Harry took a half step back, "Did she indeed, such a wag that woman." he said with a hint of nervousness showing and a glance at Severus.

Capelle laughed at his discomfort, and took her date by the arm, "Severus- Dance with me won't you?" she asked, though asked may be too strong a word since she didn't give him a chance to reply and just dragged him away.

Harry looked at the smirking Dumbledore, "She's bloody dangerous," he noted.

Dumbledore smirked in reply, "She is a woman of strong convictions and she walks her own path in life."

"In other words- She's dangerous," Harry said wryly.

"Not too you Harry or she wouldn't be here." Dumbledore said flatly, causing Harry to look more than a little surprised.

The he smiled slightly and the two powerful wizards turned back to the dance floor. Harry found his eyes being dragged once more to Ginny and was having a lot of trouble classifying exactly how he viewed her now. The thought that the way he thought of her before had upset her so did worry him some what. But then it was of no surprise to him now either, he would probably be the same. He had to admit she was on the dangerously sexy side of hot especially dressed like that. It gave him a secret if somewhat guilty thrill to know that with a single word he would be between those shapely thighs in a blink if he so wished it. He wondered what she looked like when she orgasmed, he had noticed of late that women looked so remarkably erotic at the moment of the climax and had often found himself wondering what different girls would look like as they came. He knew some of course and they had borne out his assertion somewhat. Tracey was such a sultry woman who tended to look a little surprised as she reached her climax, Hermione burned, Fleur was quite literally a goddess and Bell… Well he didn't want to think on that too closely at the moment as she was one of the few that made him hard to just think about.

"There are some… interesting themes," Dumbledore noted with wry amusement tinging his tone.

Harry smirked, as he watched a she devil walk past wiggling their arse at him as they did so. "Indeed," he noted in much the same tone of voice.

"I strongly suspect that you have a lot to do with that." Dumbledore said with a faint smile.

Harry looked at him for a moment a slightly worried look on his face, he knew Dumbledore knew he was a dragon and as such built a harem, he didn't know however just how much the headmaster knew about his… assignations. He hoped to god he knew nothing in point of fact, Dumbledore was for the most part his 'grandfather' in a way that was hard to explain. He was like family and at the same time he was one of the few people that Harry truly respected. They had their differences of opinion for sure but over 100 years of experience separated them and different personalities that helped the dynamic in their relationship.

Just then Blaise walked up to them, wearing an old looking Calvary uniform a slight smile on his face, he gave a short bow, "Potter," he said by way of greeting.

"Blaise," Harry returned with a slight smile. The enigmatic Slytherin wasn't being rude he knew, but Harry didn't play the last name game unless he really didn't like someone. He actually quite liked Blaise and he had been somewhat instrumental in getting his aunt here to help dean, a 'mud blood' who should be beneath Blaise's attention all things being equal in the pure blood world. Harry respected him for that he really did.

"I see you carry a blade Potter," Blaise said with a slight hint of a challenge in his tone.

Harry pursed his lips slightly, "Indeed," he said slipping into his character a bit he added, "One would think that almost obvious."

Blaise's lips quivered in a smile, before he too slipped into character, "Can you use it?" he asked, "or is it just for show."

Dumbledore looked between the two of them, they were being stiffly formal yet at the same time there was a certain teasing going on that was damn right friendly. It did his heart good to see the house divides starting to fall, he had high hopes that in the rest of the year and the next Harry would make them fall once and for all.

"I'm passing fair," Harry replied, surprising Dumbledore a little until he reminded himself that Harry had his knowledge, and Severus's in his head. Not to mention several others, Dumbledore himself was fair with a blade given when he was brought up and Severus had learned to fight with a blade for survival during his days spying.

"Care to prove your claim?" Blaise asked and looked around, "Seeing that everyone in a mile radius is… jealous, perhaps it would be an idea to remind them you are more than you appear," he said the last in a voice only Harry could hear. Harry looked around himself and noticed that a few people didn't look happy with him and who he had escorted, nor the fact their dates were virtually ignoring them for him.

He wasn't sure why that was, perhaps that was more of Fleur's Hairy Gnomes showing up. Harry flashed a dashing smile at Blaise, "A test, of skill steel against steel?" he asked in an slightly over the top jocular fashion.

Blaise's lips twitched again and nodded.

Dumbledore apparently had caught the gist of what was going on and decided to have some fun himself, "I think that is a marvellous idea Mr Zabini, I take it you are capable with a blade."

"Such are my families teachings," Blaise commented with a slightly ironic tone telling Harry he was probably more than fair with a blade.

"An Exhibition match then?" Dumbledore asked, then raised his hands, the band stilled their instruments and Harry was sensing a set up here. Because it was like they had expected that signal, "Then I suggest we do this properly," Albus went on to say. His wand made no appearance and almost in character he displayed a stunning ability with magic as he gently pressed the students to the sidelines and conjured several obstacles laying out essentially a battle field in which Blaise and he could play.

Harry pursed his lips and turned to Dumbledore with a raised brow, "This is a set up isn't it?"

Albus smiled at him mysteriously and raised his voice, "A challenge has been set, and our entertainment has arrived," he said confirming Harry's suspicions.

He had a feeling that he had just been volunteered and he had to admit he would've gone spare the year before, now he was up for a laugh. Smiling at Blaise he sketched a bow and the now lightly laughing Blaise, "Nicely done Mr Zabini," Harry complimented him.

Blaise shrugged, "When my aunt asks a favour of me I can hardly say no, now could I Milord?"

Harry would love to know where he had learned that little secret from, and smirked knowingly at Blaise, "Your Aunt," he said in a much lower tone, "is worryingly fixated on me of late,"

Blaise's smile changed slightly, it warmed oddly enough, "It is her way, by all accounts, she is my mothers sister after all," he said and then turned and walked off towards the 'battle ground'

"Harry has graciously volunteered to fight Blaise Zabini, England's junior fencing champion for this little exhibition duel" Dumbledore said, making Harry's step falter slightly and glare at Dumbledore who just winked at him.

"I'm a dead man," Harry commented to himself and walked cockily into the battle field his blade tapping against his leg as he walked. The crowd seemed amused that he was essentially staying in character.

Then suddenly he turned around looking at the 'battleground' proper before shooting the headmaster a shocked look, it was a dead ringer for the setup in the film from where he had god his costume and the now famous duelling scene in said movie. How the elderly professor continued to surprise him even when he knew most of what the old fox did amused and amazed him constantly.

Suddenly Pansy walked out of the crowd and towards Harry a slight smile on her face, "Once you took my favour in a serious duel, I ask you to do so again- in the spirit of friendship between our house's on a much more… light occasion."

Harry looked at her in surprise and smiled widely and charmingly at her, "Who am I to refuse the favour of a lady so divine," he said sketching a low bow to the hooting of the audience.

There was no physical favour offered at first this time, Pansy stepped in close and kissed him chastely but with a great deal of promise on the lips, then she reached up her skirt and pulled a garter down her leg and passed it to Harry with a wink and to a more raucous ripple of amusement from the crowd. Harry smiled sexily at her and put the garter on so that it was just above his elbow.

Hermione smiled then got a mischievous smile on her face and walked out of the crowd, Harry smiled at her invitingly and then frowned almost comically as she abruptly changed direction and walked over to Blaise, "Oh fair knight, I urge you to take my token in the same spirit as the gracious lady gave hers," Hermione said.

Blaise, to his credit was obviously shocked, but smiled graciously and nodded. Hermione then kissed him on the cheek and took the bow off of her knee high stocking and passed it to the somewhat reeling young man.

She then backed away, grateful that Blaise had taken the 'favour' in the spirit in which it was meant.

Dumbledore in the meantime was grinning his elderly head of. It interested him greatly that little show, and politically he hoped it was a sign of times to come. A Muggleborn gave favour to a pure blood, a pure to a half-blood, intermixing the two houses that had always been at loggerheads before this day. Yes, he liked it he liked it a lot and hoped to see more of it to come.

The 'favours' given it was time to start the exhibition match and the two combatants squared off from each other.

Blaise smiled slightly, "Shall we?" he asked.

Harry smiled in reply, "We shall."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Blaise shifted his stance slightly showing classical training as Harry moved into a stance that almost mirrored the pure blood. Blaise raised an eyebrow at that and nodded his admiration for the move, and the knowledge that it betrayed.

Harry grinned laconically but his eyes were alight with amusement. They flourished their swords at each other and then with smiles they moved together with a clash of steel on steel. Neither blade was a live blade, but it was still an impressive display and an even more impressive sound as the two steel items met with a clash.

The two backed away after the first clash and eyed each other walking around so they were always facing, obvious enjoyment on their faces showing how very 'un-serious' this particular duel was.

Luna turned as she felt a familiar presence walk up beside her and turned to her childhood friend, the young woman in question was watching the fight with an admiring look in her brown eyes. Luna sensed, however, that Ginny had something to say and looked at the red head enquiringly.

"He's something isn't he," Ginny said finally, and turning to look her blonde friend in the eyes. They were of a similar height, but Ginny's heels had Luna's beat by a good inch so Luna found herself having to look up slightly.

She smiled a knowing smile; one that she knew drove people up the wall and merely nodded in reply.

Ginny's lips pursed in amusement, "I'm not mad," she said her voice backing her words up as it was calm, showing more amusement than any other emotion.

Luna looked at her steadily, and then smiled slightly, "I'm pleased to hear that," she said finally.

"You know that he's seeing quite a few girls don't you?"

"After kissing Hermione this morning at breakfast and then arriving with Daphne and Tracey that seems a little redundant a question wouldn't you say?" Luna asked, her own tone showing amusement now.

"This doesn't worry you?" Ginny asked, curious as was obvious by her look, not demanding.

"Not overly," Luna replied, "Obviously it would be good to own him fully, but one doesn't own the sea, you merely share it."

"Interesting view point," Ginny said turning back to look at the two combatants with a smirk on her face that was more than a little sexually charged as she took in Harry's tight trousers and muscular thighs. "I expected nothing less of course."

"And you does it… Bother you, to share him?"

"I'm not sure I'm going to get the chance." Ginny replied mildly, if a bit wistfully.

Luna chuckled slightly, "I saw the look in his eyes when he saw your... Costume, sister to him you are not."

Ginny smiled slightly her eyes turning sultry as she thought of the other day and the kiss they had shared, "I made a promise to him that I wouldn't chase him anymore."

"We are women Ginny, we are allowed to change our minds often, and without excuse," Luna pointed out with wry amusement. "I think you stopped pushing a moment too soon, tell me this Ginny what would you give to feel him as he - entered you, to have that beautiful body of his hovering above you as he thrust aside your maidenhood?"

Ginny was breathing heavily already, and gulped slightly at the images Luna had effortlessly conjured in her mind.

"Personally that is my kind of heaven, and I think of it often- I'd go so far as to say nightly and on occasion, it's my hourly daydream." Luna said her own tone a little charged, the flared out her dress with her hands, "You think I would dress like this otherwise? We had a promising conversation months ago and since then he has been far too busy with others, I thought this would remind him that I'm interested- do you think it worked?"

"This coming from the girl that just French kissed Harry in the great hall?" Ginny asked sardonically.

"So you think it worked?" Luna pressed.

Ginny chuffed a laugh, "I would say so Luna, I would say so."

Luna pouted thoughtfully, "Without a - female influence in my life I sometimes wonder what to do when it comes to such things," she admitted freely.

"You help me- I'll help you," Ginny said turning to Luna with a smile on her face that was as devious as it was alluring.

"I've often thought about helping a girl-" Luna said with a glimmer of amusement in her usually dreamy eyes.

Ginny blushed and laughed loudly, a noise that was covered just by a clash of blade upon blade, "You are amazing, you know that right?"

"Only you and Harry have ever said that to me outside of my father," Luna noted.

Ginny smiled and slung a friendly arm around the blonde, "That's because Harry and I see the world as it is, not the way others think it should be. You do too, and I think I can speak for Harry and say that is just one of the things we like about you."

Across the battling duo another conversation was just beginning with much the same topic, it was but one of many though some were less wholesome than others.

"What is it about him?" Daphne asked her lover wistfully, they stood beside each other turning a few heads even with the impressive display of blade technique happening out on the 'battlefield'. They were both used to that of course, the rumours surrounding them, no matter how true, tended to put most men's minds straight into the gutter, as if they truly stood a chance. Which of course they really didn't since the two women were largely uninterested in the opposite sex. With one notable exception to that rule. They did, however, like to think they were attracted to a person more than a gender and so far none of the other men had attracted their interest, until that year of course.

Tracey smirked slightly, "He is one of a kind I think, he's a hero for one a true blue hero right out of legend, he's power in many ways, charming, good looking and did I mention powerful."

Daphne smiled slightly a pout appearing after a moment, "What's with tonight?" she asked, "It's not like you to do something like this, this date you've arranged."

Tracey smirked again, "What makes you think there is anything more to it than grabbing him before the rest?"

"You like to get one over people, for certain. But I know you Tracey you never do something without at least two reasons, if not more to make it worth your while."

"The exact details I cannot disclose due to an Oath," Tracey began, "Needless to say that I have spent more time with Harry than you may think and have gotten to know him quite well, a side of him I doubt most know about and something else I can't even mention. He's the one man I trust you with," she said drawing a totally stunned look from Daphne, "The one man I know that you are utterly infatuated with of late as well, which for me is a happy coincidence since, frankly-" she paused looking a little surprised herself, "I've fallen for him somewhat myself."

Daphne looked at her still with that stunned expression on her face, Tracey hadn't finished though, "I know you've kissed him, and I know you Daphne you LIKED it and you've been thinking of little else for a while now. I know for a fact that you want to do more than kiss him."

Daphne gulped slightly, "I erh-"

"We're open my darling, I've affirmed this too you on many occasions and I'm fairly sure you've explored before, I don't mind as I have too- although only recently."

"I have, and I know we're open it's just we're not usually so- open about it." Daphne said with a smile.

"For fear of hurting each other's feelings I suspect, that said in this one thing you and I are in the same boat and it happens to be the same man. A man that is quite capable of- satisfying both our curiosities, and more than likely our desires."

Daphne looked back to the duel a thoughtful look in her beautiful eyes, "Interesting, he can certainly kiss I'll give him that."

"That he can, and he's rather blessed too"

Daphne smiled in a shocked slightly scandalised fashion, "You and he-"

"Have not had sex," Tracey said, "Anything else, is under oath and I have to be careful but I can probably freely say I'm impressed with him."

Daphne caught her bottom lip between white teeth and felt a flush of warmth flow through her at the thoughts that had placed in her head. "So you've set up tonight for us to-"

"Shag him" Tracey said with her usual disarming bluntness, "Yes, I know for a fact I will give myself to him tonight, it is my hope you'll join us, but you don't have to."

Daphne smiled seductively, "Remember that game you and I played with the poly juice?"

"Doesn't do him justice I assure you, and we really need to tell him about that tonight. He doesn't deserve to be- shared around school without at least knowing about it." Tracey said with surprising feeling behind her words.

"You really are falling for him aren't you."

"As will you," Tracey said with a warm smile, "As will you."

-#-

Harry fell back against a boulder and grinned as the point of a blade was tapping his throat gently, he held up his hands and said, "I YEILD!" as clearly as he could with a sword at his throat and at the same time he was grinning his head off.

Blaise nodded, stepping back and re-sheathing his sword and held out a hand to help Harry up. Harry took it gratefully and pulled the surprised man in for a damn near brotherly hug, "I am in awe Blaise," he said still at a volume that the crowd would hear, "Simply put you are the most gifted swordsman I've seen." Which didn't sound so amazing unless you realised that via his 'donors' Harry had seen a great many of the ages best at play and at war.

Blaise damn near blushed at the compliment instead he merely nodding his thanks with a smile as he said, "You aren't so bad yourself, you could be a serious contender on the circuits and with training I think a champion."

Harry blinked back his shock, "Thank you, I'm surprised to hear you say that."

"As with many things Harry you have the natural talent, you just lack the training I have." Blaise told him.

Hermione rushed over and also hugged Blaise shocking him further, "Thank you my champion," she said tongue in cheek as she kissed the stunned young man on the cheek.

"It was a pleasure, my lady," Blaise said smiling slightly, "Perhaps you would honour me with a dance?" he asked much to Hermione's surprise and delight.

"It would be a pleasure," she said as the battlefield disappeared from around them and the band started up again.

Pansy walked up to Harry with a mock pout on her face, "My favour didn't bring you victory today," she commented her eyes showing she was joking.

"I think on the contrary that your favour and Hermione's brought honour and victory in ways we might not see the full extent of for years." Harry replied, his tone serious despite the smile on her face.

Pansy smiled slightly, "For your failure to win I will have to ask that you repay me with a dance," she told him.

"Then it appears I've won after all," Harry told her looking her in the eyes as she said it.

Pansy felt her heart hammer in her chest and smiled at him invitingly, "It's a shame you've got an escort this evening Milord, otherwise I would be able to extract full payment from you in a most- mutually beneficial fashion I think," she purred in a sexually charged voice. "This time I would not be held back by just about anything I would think."

Harry smiled, swept her into a loose dancing embrace and started to dance with her, not sure quiet how to reply to that offer without just throwing her down and seeing how hard a corset really was to get into.

-#-

A little while later after being swapped around most of the girls in his year and some of the ones in the one before it Harry was taking a load off and sipping some punch watching the proceedings and feeling a little lighter than he had since the battle with Voldemort. It was till there, the darkness from having killed a man despite how despicable said man was, he tried not to let him bother him overly but at the end of the day he had been killing more than he liked of late. Sometimes in fairly cold blood, which may match his somewhat draconian nature but the more human side of him baked at it a little he had to admit, if to no other than himself. That said, the wizarding world was free of Voldemort and once the Auror's had done their job and he was sure that they would, they would be free of that dark taint for some time to come. Until the next time of course, because it was human nature and there would always be a next time at the end of the day. It made him a little sad to realise that, but then again he hoped he would be long since dead when the next Dark Lord showed their ugly face to the world. It was just that, a hope, but he was aloud to hope wasn't he?

A presence beside him made him turn and he almost let out a sigh before he caught himself. Talking of amazingly complicated things in his life, not that he was but it seemed to fit. "Hello Professor Zabini," Harry said modulating his tone slightly.

Not enough apparently, "Oh dear," Capelle said with a slight pout, "I'm really starting to bother you aren't I?" she said, though in truth she didn't sound in the least worried about that fact, more - happy about it than anything else.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Harry demurred, "Are you enjoying the party Professor?"

"You can call me Capelle, Harry" she corrected him, "Yes I am rather, poor Severus though is quite tired out."

'That'll be all the shagging he's been doing lately,' Harry thought to himself with no small amount of amusement, and a slightly squicked feeling. Somehow it just seemed wrong to think of Snape and Sex in the same sentence even though they had been damn right friendly of late. He was sure Padfoot was turning over in his grave, though if Padfoot had been here he would be doing his best to put his hand up the beautiful woman's skirt by now Harry was sure. If he could navigate such a - voluminous - garment in the first place, Harry had to admit there were some positively fascinating logistical challenges involved with that thought. "Well, Sev was never big on dancing," Harry said with his tone hinting at the amusing comments he was thinking.

"So what about you Harry? Are you 'big on dancing'," Capelle asked with a lifted brow.

"Not overly, but tonight I don't seem to have had a choice." Harry said sardonically, since the girls had been taking turns with him just about the entire evening. Though he was happy to see that Hermione had been dancing with Blaise more than the once demanded of his earlier offer. Happy, and slightly jealous, he had to admit. Not that he was letting himself feel that, if he was aloud to see others then so were any of those he saw as far as he was concerned, even if a part of him roared in indignation of that thought and wanted to tear say.. Blaise limb from limb for looking at one of his harem funny. That was the Black talking though and he was Harry he wasn't going to ruin his life by dictating rules that he wasn't willing to follow himself. It should not be one rule for him and another for his ladies, no way in hell and he had to make them realise that sooner rather than later. He suddenly realised he had been lost in thought and had missed what Capelle had said next, "I'm sorry what was that?"

Capelle lifted a sculpted eyebrow at him, "I asked if you would dance with me?"

Harry couldn't see the harm in that he supposed, so he nodded and was led out to the dance floor. The tune slowed down much to his annoyance and he found Capelle stepping into his personal space. He moved her back to a safer distance and she looked at him with a slightly annoyed expression in those amber eyes of hers.

"It think," Harry said after a moment, "I would like to take this opportunity to relay a little history lesson to you Professor,"

"Harry-" she began warningly.

"You are making advances to me that normally I would more than willingly take you up on, whatever the impropriatry of those advances really are considering your status and mine." Harry said in a no nonsense tone, "You may notice that I'm backing away quite sharply, wouldn't you like to know why?"

Capelle had to admit, that yes, in fact she would, but felt she had to say, "I am a free spirit Harry I do as I please when I please."

Harry nodded, "One of the things I quite like about you actually, but I think you need to understand something. Professor Snape and I didn't used to get along, until this year in point of fact."

"He has already told me this Harry, and yes I know you're both matured-" she told him but was cut off once more.

"There's more you need to know, thus the history lesson. Now you want to treat me as an equal judging by your- inherent offer, so let me be straight with you. Shut up and listen before you make a vey big mistake."

Capelle blinked back her shock, feeling the first stirrings of anger.

"Young Severus Snape was not well liked, he came from a mixed family, wasn't well treated as a student and had a bit of a war with some- to him- arrogant Gryffindor throughout most of his school career. Now frankly, it was equal most of the time, he gave as good as he got which in itself is fairly impressive given their greater numbers, but pranks often can get out of hand. That is neither here nor there though, you see during this time Severus fell in love for the first time and until recently, last time in his life. Skipping certain - private matters, to Severus in fact. I will say only this he loved her enough that he tried to be better for her, much as he is doing now for you. However there is a wrinkle to this tale, this woman was called Lily, Lily Evans and is my mother. She eventually chose my father and in the process I think made him a better man for it, and showed him that he was underneath the brash young Potter a good man. I am proud of both my parents, despite some of the rash actions of my father in his younger years, Merlin I've done worse myself, but at the end of the day they fell in love and he changed. But that is not germane to the subject of our discussion. Lily let Severus down easy, very gently in fact but there is no way to not break a heart in that circumstance, Severus became grief stricken and damn near made a fatal mistake. He stopped himself, for which I admire him a little, because I'm not sure I would've. What that event is, is not important," Harry said cutting off the now silent and emotional looking Capelle who had been about to ask.

"The fact stands that James took something from Severus, at least that was the way it felt to Severus. Obviously he didn't really Lily was her own and extremely strong willed woman, but that festered within Severus for a long time causing him to actually make a very real mistake. Long story short he fed off of that anger for a long time it kept him going when perhaps he wouldn't have before. So in effect it was useful, not good for him, but useful. Anyway, MANY years later a small boy enters Hogwarts, I'm apparently rather a dead ringer for my dad, except my eyes which are my mothers, just to add insult to injury as it were. So not only is Sev faced with a James clone he see's Lily's eyes looking at him. Now personally I think he was an immature prat to me, and obviously I was like eleven I didn't respond well. We've reached a peace now he's found out I'm more like my mother than father, his words not mine. But how do you think he will react if something were to happen between you and I?" Harry said, ending his speech and just swaying to the music slightly as Capelle cried slightly against his shoulder.

"He and I still have issues, mostly we ignore them and that works for us. He's trying to be better for you Capelle, perhaps you could do the same for him?" Harry said, smiled, bowed formally and walked away leaving Capelle an emotional mess that went looking for her boyfriend as soon as she realised she was alone.

Harry walked straight out of the great hall, via the doors shown for the event that led to some small sculpted gardens to clear his head in the fresh air a bit. He had dragged up some issues he had led to rest in the interest of finding peace with someone he had to work with. Said Issues were long from gone, but as he had told the beautiful professor it worked for them and he saw no reason to rock the boat. Whether she realised it or not Capelle could easily have upset that careful balance and Harry had a feeling that Snape wouldn't have reacted- well at all.

He sat down on a bench and closed his eyes, confident that his other senses would warn him of danger. So he was somewhat surprised when he felt someone settle on to his lap, he breathed in through his nose and smiled slightly, "I thought you were done with attacking me," he said his tone teasing and eyes still closed.

"This is sitting, this isn't an attack," a playful voice replied, the shapely form shifted in his lap in a somewhat enticing manner causing him to smile slightly wider.

"If Ron finds you sat in my lap, what exactly do you think he's going to do?" he asked, more curious than angry about his current situation. The fact was that he was thoroughly deprogrammed now and found her weight on his lap more than a bit of a turn on. He wasn't about to give up the game that easily though. He'd made himself a promise not to have sex with younger, but at the same time there was much that could be done that wasn't strictly classified as sex. He'd looked it up and everything, just to be sure. Of course he had been thinking about Luna at the time he'd done that research, it was a cop out he knew, but you had to be flexible in your honour and all that, flexible codes of honour stayed intact, rigid tended to break forever.

"Ron's left, with Lavender in tow about an hour ago. I'm not surprised you didn't notice Harry after all you've been a bit busy." Ginny replied with a slightly mocking and highly amused tone of voice.

Harry smirked slightly, his eyes still closed. In truth he was glad that it was likely Ron was 'busy' and unlikely to be disturbing them anytime soon. He wasn't sure what exactly was going to happen but something was he was sure.

"You know, there's something I've been dying to know," Ginny said her voice low and intimate.

Harry's lips quirked again, "Oh?" he asked, feeling that some new tease and temptation was coming his way from the very female Weasley sat on his lap.

"Now you've defeated Voldemort, and the Ministry has finally mobilised and according to my dad is fighting hard to finish what you started-." She trailed off and Harry opened his eyes a little surprised and fascinated to know where she was going with this, "What do you intend to do now?"

Harry smiled softly at her, no one had actually asked that of him so far not even Hermione and he was a little surprised about that. He had a fair idea of what he wanted to do, and achieve not a career as such but a sort of direction in which he wanted to head. He tilted his head and looked at the open and honest curiosity and a little concern 'for him' on Ginny's face. He was a little touched by that, so he decided to reply honestly. "I'm working on a few things right now Gin, a business partnership with your brothers Fred and George that is likely to make us all quite rich, but that's not why I'm doing it really, I'm already rather well off." He told her seriously, "There's things I want to try, one of which is to drag the Wizarding world into this century kicking and screaming if I have to. I'd rather not be quite so forceful though. Using some ideas I've nicked from Muggle's I think your brothers and I will revolutionise some of the way things are done in the wizarding world. Their phone idea you already know about, that alone will change the way we communicate in my humble opinion. I love Hedwig as you know, and will keep her no matter what, but honestly, owls as a way of communication is a bit redundant don't you think. The mobiles will have the ability to send a parchment message instantly and at just about any length to another phone. That alone will make most owls redundant. For more official documents then fine, use and owl. With the cost the twins are talking about even the least effluent family will be afford at least one mobile while there are some that can't afford to buy or keep an owl."

Ginny nodded, loving the way his eyes were glowing as he got into his subject and inwardly gleeful that her family was so included in his plans it made her proud that they would be a part of this revolution. She herself would like to become more involved as well, not just as Harry's more than willing sexual partner either. "How can I help?" she asked, almost impulsively.

Harry looked at her steadily for a moment, "At this precice moment I'm not entirely sure. I do know you are rather talented at charms. Your Bat boogie hex alone is a master piece. That says a lot for your ability, and I'm also privy to your scores being that I'm an assistant professor. You're pretty powerful too, that will help." He trailed off thoughtfully, "I'm talking to the twins tomorrow and I'll get their input in this, but I think I have and idea. Before I talk to them though I'll keep it to myself."

She pouted playfully at him, her eyes shooting wide as he kissed it away, "Don't pout- it's far too tempting," he told her with a sexy smile on his face.

She looked at him still stunned for a long moment and then said, "Harry- do you think-" she trailed off looking nervous.

"What Gin?"

She breathed in gathering her courage, "I'd like to make out for a while, do you think you could do that?"

Harry opened his mouth to deny her, he really did instead though, "Yes," came out of his mouth and then soft lips were melded to his and he knew nothing for sometime to come.

-#-

Ginny moaned her body plastered against Harry's as she was now laying under him on the bench, his hands had wandered a fair bit gliding across her body in a way that was making her yearn to push the envelope. She knew she couldn't though, she counted herself lucky that she had managed this break through, and reminded herself to thank Luna for this. It had been at her insistence that she had followed Harry out of the Great Hall to this private nook in the gardens and she vowed she would return the favour to her friend somehow. She adored the way Harry kissed her now, no reservation, such passion and heat and his hands, Merlin she loved his hands and the fact one was up her skirt and resting on her thigh at that moment. It was quite literally a dream come true, a sexually charged and hot dream, but a dream nonetheless. She moaned into his mouth as their tongues duelled and gripped his arse firmly a leg wrapping around his body somewhat as she did so. She could loose herself in this man, totally and utterly be lost in the moment for eternity she was sure. If he asked, her knickers would be a thing of the past and her virginity would follow it closely.

She knew he would ask though, at least not yet. She'd make do, the memory of this event alone would give her many pleasant nights to come she was sure. In fact she had an appointment with a solitary bath that very night she was sure. In fact if he moved his hand one inch higher on her leg she was going to have to vanish her underwear anyway. She felt the loss keenly when he broke the heated kiss and looked down at her, burning emerald eyes looking down at her with passion in their depths. She liked that she saw that there now, not the shock she had seen before. She had not pushed him this time, she had just asked and it felt good that he had said yes. She noted with female amusement that he had looked a bit shocked at his own answer, his body had answered for him she was sure, but once it had he had matched word to deed and proceeded to make out with her in a way quite beyond her experience.

"We should be getting back," he said, his voice a virtual purr.

She smiled at him sensually, not that she was capable of anything but at that moment in time, "I'll go in before you- just in case Ron has reappeared yet."

Harry smiled, "It doesn't matter what Ron thinks," he told her.

She beamed at him, and then said, "That means a lot, but right now- let's not rock that boat until we have to."

Harry smiled in return, "As you wish," he told her. "I just don't' want you to think you have to hide."

"I know, and I appreciate it, anyway, if we go in together I may be lynched."

Harry chuffed with amusement, "I'm not sure what's gotten into the female population of Hogwarts of late," he commented wryly.

"You, or they wish at least." Ginny told him, her meaning clear.

"You have a dirty mouth, and mind."

"Well, you can give my dirty mouth something to do anytime you like, I've already told you I want a mouth fu-"

He pressed a finger to her lips, "Don't go pushing my buttons while I'm feeling so- enticed, it's cruel and I may take you up on it."

Ginny smiled, "Feel free," she said and then made and O shape with her mouth.

Harry growled at her playfully, but was seriously tempted, god she had a nice mouth, he was in truth wondering why he'd never noticed how bloody sexy she was these days. "Get thee behind me foul temptation," he said.

"Isn't that my line," she commented with a saucy wink, getting up and flouncing off like she was walking on a cloud.

Harry watched her leave very closely, he hoped she remembered to adjust her clothing before she walked somewhere public she was looking very rumbled, her skirt higher than it should be as well. Not that he minded her current look, in fact he was debating on asking her to keep the outfit for when eh could really show his appreciation, like next year when she was legal. He shook off the thought and tidied himself up a little, checking his watch. "Crickey, 30 minutes," he noted aloud. If that was half an hour with Ginny what would they get up to within an hour. He knew the answer to that of course, if he loosened his 'moral' standing on the underage thing it wouldn't have taken thirty minutes to have her knickers round her ankles and her against the wall he was sure.

"Potter," a familiar snarl made him turn his head in a surprised and slightly wary manner, he saw a livid Snape, and it was Snape and not the Severus he had come to know, walking up to him. "I've been looking for you." He spat out with annoyance in his tone and leaking out of every pore.

"Urh- Professor, what's up?" Harry asked warily, his hand resting near where he had stashed his wand for the evening.

"I've just spent sometime calming my crying- urh- girlfriend."

"Ahh" Harry said, wondering what Capelle had said to make Snape so mad.

Abruptly Snape's face cleared back to 'Severus', "I am unsure if I should hex you, or thank you currently. On one hand you have made her cry, and let out some secrets I wasn't about to tell her. On the other-" he trailed off, his meaning clear enough to Harry. On the other- he had possibly dodged some nasty goings on, which would include a return of Snape permanently and the loss of a building friendship, hurting everyone involved in what was sure to be a major fuck up. Of course, Harry realised, he had lost out on bagging the beautiful professor as well, but there had to be sacrifices somewhere along the line.

"She has told me to inform you that you will not be dodging the favor she asked though, and went on to tell me what she has asked of you. She seems to think you'll require my permission to go ahead. This I give, with no reservation after the- friendship- you have shown me this night."

That was a shock to Harry, a pleasant shock but such a shock that it stunned him into silence, "You realise what is involved?"

Severus looked pained but nodded, "It was explained to me, in enough detail to make me ill." He replied with some of his old biting sarcasm making itself shown. "I have been shown this night that you will act with honor, I have to admit to being- surprised at the depth of that honor. I feel I owe you a personal debt for that, as much as it pains me to admit aloud."

Harry smirked, "It had to be done, you were too private and perhaps too stuburn to say it out loud, to her especially so I knew I had to. I figured, in truth, that you would be more angry."

Snape snorted, "I can hardly be angry when I consider the end result."

"Which is?"

Severus paused, "You may as well be the first to know, since you are in a large part responsible for this. I'm engaged to be married, I think this night has made us realise that neither of us wishes to be aprt from the other."

Harry blinked, blinked again then smiled widely, "Congratulations Severus," he said semi formally, "I'm chuffed to bits for you, I really am, shocked obviously but chuffed."

Severus shot him a slightly sour look, "Twice a potter has meddled in my love life now," he said starting somewhat forebodingly, "I have to say this time has worked out in a more favourable fashion for myself personally, but I do hope you don't make a habit of it."

Harry grinned then through back his head and laughed his head off for a solid minute, during which time even Severus chuckled a little. "You can be sure of that Sev." Harry eventually said, a face splitting grin on his face.

Severus smiled, then added, "I'd tell you to make sure you keep your hands off my future wife but that is rather redundant considering the favour she has asked of you." He remarked sardonically.

Harry snorted and then let out a guffaw of laughter, "Indeed," he admitted.

"Come Harry, your Fans await you in the great hall. I was most impressed by your earlier duelling by the way, but much more impressed with Blaise."

"Me too as it happens, earlier I heard he and Albus talking, the old coot is thinking of reinstating the fencing lessons here."

Snape snorted at the nickname for the venerable professor, "Indeed and who on earth would teach it?"

Harry shrugged, "No idea Sev, but I pity the poor bugger, kids and sharp pointy pieces of metal are not a good match."

"Lets us be glad it is not likely to be us then."

-#-

"What- No way, uh-uh, not going to happen," the petulant voice said.

Surprisingly it wasn't Harry for a change, "Severus- please you have the relevant training, Fillius feels he is too old-" Albus Dumbledore said, somewhat surprised by his professors vehement denial.

"No way, I was just talking about this with Harry," Severus said indicating exhibit A, who was smirking like mad at the situation they had walked into. Despite the fact the party was still in full swing and looked to stay that way until the wee hours, business was still being conducted with the faculty of Hogwarts.

"It's true, we were." Harry said with a nod and a mad little grin on his face.

"Oh, and what was your summary?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"That we pitied the poor bast- bugg- person that ended up with that job." Harry said, tripping over his words in an attempt not to swear.

"Little did I know you were thinking of me." Severus said dryly.

"I still pity you Sev, if that helps?" Harry asked with a cheeky smile.

"Not especially no, hell if I'm going down, I'm not going down alone." Snape said with a sudden Slytherin look on his face.

"Does Capelle know?" Harry said in a whispered aside, Severus side swiped at him but Harry dodged to one side.

Severus smiled his best Snape smile, "I will do it, on one condition. Since I know damn well you will give me no choice but to, especially since I had a favour to ask, but- that said, I refuse to go into the night alone."

Albus was part amused and part curious at that point, "What is your condition."

"I require an assistant," he said with a pointed look at Harry.

"What- No way, uh-uh, not going to happen," the petulant voice said, and this time it WAS Harry.

"I do believe you were hoping to bring a music class back to Hogwarts," Albus said tugging on his beard and trailing off meaningfully.

"Oh you crafty old coot," Harry said with a smile of damn near admiration on his face, "You realise this means war of course?"

Albus smiled, "You are most welcome to try of course, but I hardly feel the need for a war here, it is merely a mutually beneficial deal for all parties. Fencing, as you well know, is one of my passions from my youth. Alas, I am too old too teach it, I get what I want, Severus get's what he wants and you will get what you want- as I said, mutually beneficial all round. Why perhaps next year we could field our first school team for the interschool championship we have not attended since I was a boy-" Albus said eyes glossing over with dreams of school glory.

Harry and Severus exchanged a look, "He's scary," Harry noted to which Severus nodded his agreement.

Albus snapped back to the here and now and smiled, "So it's settled then- marvellous" he sad driving over both their objections with ease born of long practice, "Right then I will post a notice in the morrow, for now I think I will show these youngsters how to dance." He said and turned to a startled looking Minerva, "Min? would you do me the honour?"

Harry and Severus exchanged another look, this one loaded with amusement then sighed as they realised they were both doomed.

Then Harry smiled, "You and my father et al had a bit of a prank war going on in the old days- I think that is of use to me now."

"I was hardly in the same league as your father," Snape grudgingly admitted, "But I was passing fair-" he smiled looking at Albus smiling smugly, "What do you have in mind-"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Harry looked at the two women looking back at him, "Thank you for a wonderful Evening," he told them both.

"It was our pleasure Harry," they chorused in a worrying facsimile of the twins. "Even though we only got a few pitiful dances," Daphne added with a slight smile.

"Sorry about that, you did tell me to mingle though and from there it all went a little mad." Harry admitted with a smile.

"Judging by the smile on Ginny's face I think you mingled her brains out." Tracey put in with a smirk.

Harry smirked back, "Ginny and I; did not have sex," he told her without telling her much at all.

They were walking down the almost disserted hallways, since they were among the last to leave the great hall all was pretty much dead around the place. Meaning they could talk freely, they were all wide-awake though with the semi adrenaline that a great night can bestow.

Tracey looked at him, "What did you do then, because that was a deliriously happy smile she had."

"We kissed," Harry said with a shrug.

"Harry your kiss is amazing, but it's not THAT good." Daphne said with a teasing smile. Harry shot her a slightly surprised smile but refrained from further comment.

Tracey was looking impressed, "You only kissed?" she asked.

"Nosey little thing aren't ya."

"She is; it's true" Daphne put in and got a playful elbow in the ribs from Tracey for her troubles.

"I may have let my hands wander a bit, but we really only kissed," Harry said finally, "We just sorted through a few things at the same time, resolved some of my issues in the progress if I'm honest."

"Don't think of her in a family way then?"

Harry snorted at the unintentional double meaning but shook his head, "No I really don't. In truth I never really did, I do not have a sister and I certainly do not know what it feels like to have one, so I cannot honestly say that anyone feels that way to me. Perhaps if Hermione and I were not the way we are, then perhaps she would be that to me- I dunno, different universe perhaps she would be the closest I would have to a sister. Ginny though has always been a little different even from that, so no I never classified her that way, but she was in a strictly non- sexual box before now."

"I think the box she's interested in you filling would be sexual." Daphne said in a quiet aside that had both Tracey and Harry laughing so hard they ended up leaning against the wall. Harry shocked, Tracey amused and happy that Daphne was loosening up enough to flash that sense of humour of hers.

Harry stifled his chuckles finally and smiled at the beautiful blonde, "I like you," he commented walking slowly back towards the Slytherin dormitories escorting the two beauties as was his job as their escort for the evening. Of course he had no idea they had absolutely no intention of ending the evening just yet.

The two women shared a look and Daphne of the two said. "It's very nice of you to lead us back to the dorms like this Harry, but Tracey and I aren't really sleepy. Frankly, we don't want to stop the party so soon. Look, the suns not even up yet. At our age, aren't we supposed to party all night long?" she asked, coy and sexy all at the same time.

Harry lifted his brow and despite his obvious experience of late he still wasn't THAT experienced as yet, so said curelessly and artlessly, "We could go back to the lair, stick on a CD or something?" he asked.

"We don't have any CD's," Tracey noted, "Or one of those new player things that are knocking around at the moment."

Harry smirked, "You mean you don't know this one?" he asked.

"The charm, no neither of us do, it's spreading from the Muggleborns but not to us yet." Daphne said surprised at his humour and mildly insulted.

"I'll teach you the charm, but that's not what I meant. I meant, I erh… invented that one."

Tracey and Daphne shared a look full of surprise. "Really," Tracey eventually asked her tone now slightly sceptical.

"Yeah, also, didn't spread from the Muggleborns. I taught it to Ginny who has been teaching everyone else, so in fact it's spreading from a Pureblood."

"Where would a pureblood get a - CD," Daphne asked.

"Oh that's and easy one to answer," Harry said flashing a smile, "I brought them for her of course. The Weasley's and I are quite close, this summer we went into Muggle London."

"I quite like some of the music that's been heard lately," Tracey said thoughtfully, looking to Daphne who agreed with a nod, and the two looked at Harry beseechingly.

He smiled charmingly, "Of course I will, over the Christmas Holidays or something we can meet up and I'll take you out shopping."

They beamed at him, "First you have to teach us that charm." Tracey put in. Then frowned as Harry looked at her hair intently, "Urh-" she said warily, "Whatcha doing?"

"Looking for a hair pin," Harry replied mildly and with amusement colouring his tone.

"I used magic tonight, but Daph has a couple on I think."

"Well, we need at least one." Harry said and looked at Daphne.

"I'll let my hair down at the den." She supplied.

"Actually I thought you had it down," Harry said looking at her, "Not really seen your hair fully down or like it is at the moment, I like it."

She smiled at him, "Thank you, I like it long but honestly leaving it down all the time - it get's in the way."

"So- walk to the 'Lair' or use the Rune stone?" Harry asked Tracey.

"Before you had the Rune stone, how did you get there and back?" Tracey suddenly asked, just because she had been wondering, "You didn't walk all the time did you, because it's a long way out of the way."

Harry smiled, "No, I didn't walk after the first time I found it." Harry admitted.

"So how then?"

Harry smiled then walked so he was standing between the two women, grabbed them both in a half embrace and said, "Like this…"

-#-

Tracey and Daphne looked at each other with a charged look in their eyes and a smile on their faces, "Now that is the way to travel," Tracey remarked, her tone a virtual purr.

Harry half frowned at the tone of her voice and made a sudden correlation in his head, "Oh- bugger," he said drawing worried glances from them both, his magic flared dramatically and he viewed them closely. "Huh," he said after a moment, "That could explain a lot, out of everyone I ' whirled' her most," he said mostly to himself but aloud. He reached out and touched the two women he was with and essentially funnelled off some of the excess magic, a large amount of it there was too. He suspected that one, perhaps two trips wouldn't really push the envelope but Lavender had travelled that way with him about 6 times in total, including a couple of trips to and from these quarters even when he had the Rune stone.

The two beautiful women he had with him; felt the magic draining from them with a bit of a loss, but nothing compared to what Lavender had obviously felt and looked at him curiously.

Off their looks, he told them, "It's been bugging me for a while now why Lavender was acting so strangely, and I think I may have found one of the reasons or a contributing factor. As Tracey knows there is a trick I can do with my magic, and that is what I thought it was, but it appears I was wrong, it is the same magic but used differently and at a much higher degree of potency. I think that may be what started it off." Harry said sitting down, then with a mental shrug he smiled, "Nothing I can do about it now, so the CD charm then."

Tracey and Daphne shared another look, and then sat either side of him, both keen to learn this new and useful charm. "It's very simple," he told them and looked at Daphne expectantly.

She smiled and got the clue, and with a practiced movement, her hair suddenly fell even further down her back and she had three clips in her hand. She smiled slightly at Harry's look, "What?" she asked.

"I dunno, I think I may have a thing for women with long hair though," Harry said then blushed slightly having realised that was not a very 'cool' thing to say.

Daphne also blushed, at the compliment inherent in that statement. She was starting to realise she had a thing for Harry Potter's, and since there was only one she had to admit, it was a potent liking. The fact he liked her hair long pretty much ensured she was keeping it despite the fact they were not… close. She had been thinking about cutting it, but the fact was that was not going to happen anymore.

"Right," Harry said and then aloud and slowly he took them through the charm. The hairpin ending up floating over the small coffee like table, "The air around the base of the pin and below it is where the sound comes from. At first I forget heat would be produced, which was a painful, but important lesson in physics." Harry said with a self-mocking smile. He looked around and spotted his jacket, which for change he was not wearing. He got up and retrieved a few CD's including some he had gotten in the box from the twins. He glanced at it, "Hmmm," he said with appreciation for the picture on the cover. "Nice, never heard of them, but then I'm not into pop." He commented much to Tracey and Daphne's mounting amusement, not that they knew what he really meant either.

He removed the cd and tossed it gently at the pin. The spell caught the silver disk and held it in place stationary. "The commands are simple, and don't need to be spoken, flick your wand at the contraption once to start and stop, twice to the left for fast forward, twice to the right for reverse. Stop is more like pause, as it remembers where in the track it was. No matter what actually, even if you change disks. Not sure how many disks it can store, only that it should cover any ones collection easily enough. I love Magic, I really do. Right, go on Daphne have at it."

Daphne looked at him and made a great show of patting herself down, "In this outfit where do you think I could stash my wand."

"No wand?" he said to her smirk, then looked at Tracey, who smirked and pulled up her dress showing a hidden sheath at her thigh, placed so that the split wouldn't show it was there.

Meanwhile Harry enjoyed the view, so for that matter did Daphne. "You have great legs, just so you know." Harry commented, "Want to try the charm?"

Tracey smiled at him sexily, but did indeed try the charm, and ended up with a working CD player.

She then, to Harry's great surprise, passed her wand to Daphne who took it and with no visible difficulties managed to duplicate the charm on the final pin with a deft swish and flick. Harry looked between the two with a slight smile, "To use each others wands so easily, if you'll excuse the double meaning, you must be highly compatible."

They smiled at each other fondly, which told Harry all he needed to know about their relationship. He smiled softly himself, and then flicked his wand at the only CD player with a disk 'loaded'. A quite cheerful piece of music started to play and soon Tracey and Daphne got up and started to bop around to the music.

Harry watched then with a smile, they were dancing energetically and it was a remarkable sight, the fact they were also dancing together did wonders for his teenaged libido. The fact they were both astoundingly sexy and beautiful certainly did not hurt matters either. The way they were dressed just added another layer on to that, ending up with a heady cocktail of prime female sexiness personified. He watched them for a couple of tracks with that same smile on his face before they decided that he'd had enough of a show and dragged him up to dance with them.

"Shame we don't have any booze," Daphne commented with a smirk.

Harry grinned at her, "Wait here," he said and disappeared with a swirl of magic, only to reappear a few minutes later with a bag in one hand and three glasses in another. "All night shopping, is one of the better Muggle inventions." He said with a smirk.

Daphne beamed at him, "You can really buy alcohol at this time of the… morning?"

"Well, not really due to licensing laws but I happened to have this stuff in my flat," he said putting down the bag and pulling out a bottle of energy drink and a bottle of JD and smiling at them..

"I tried this over the summer, it takes some getting used to, but-" he trailed off with a shrug and poured out three exact same measures of the JD and then the energy drink to go with it. "Most like Vodka but I prefer JD with it." He said, then as they sat beside him, with him once more in the middle he passed them each a glass, "To the future," he said with a smile, "May it be filled with laughter." He added and took a hit of his 'cocktail'.

Daphne and Tracey repeated him and his actions. Daphne grimaced with a puzzled look on her face and Tracey beamed, "I like this," she commented with a surprised note to her voice.

"I am undecided," Daphne said after a moment, "It tastes alright, and frankly I can hardly taste the whiskey, but there is a bit of a kick I wasn't expecting given the taste." She explained her odd reaction, "Took me a bit by surprise."

Harry smiled, sat back and put a foot up in a relaxed fashion on the coffee table, "God the trouble we'd get into if anyone knew we were drinking at school." He said with an impish smile as he took a swig of his drink.

"That's half the fun," Tracey commented, then smirked, "Not like any of the teachers can come here though is it?"

"True," Harry said then frowned, "Other than me of course," he added then laughed, "In which case I SHOULD give you both detention and take points, and the same to myself."

Tracey smiled sexily, "What detention would we have to serve Professor Potter" she purred.

Harry smirked, "Perhaps a spanking would be preferable to detention in this case, bend you over and give you a good seeing to as it were." He purred back at her.

Tracey smiled sultrily at him, "I think I'd enjoy that."

Harry laughed, "Don't tease me, my heart you know-" he told her with a gleam of amusement in his eyes.

"Who's teasing?" she asked, looking serious.

Harry looked at her steadily, "So if I put you over my knee right know you are saying you wouldn't hex my bits off then?" he said tossing a wink at Daphne.

"No- I'm saying I'd probably attempt to swallow your cock in its entirety afterwards."

Harry gulped and shifted in his seat, "Phew, well, that's one way to insure a spanking." He told the teasing, he thought, woman. "Anyway," he added, "I don't think Daphne would like to see that."

"I dunno," Daphne, said drawing a very shocked expression onto her from Harry, "I might quite like to watch that actually."

The joking atmosphere suddenly did not feel like a joking atmosphere anymore, there was a heavy potential for sex at that precise moment. Tracey put down her drink, her eyes damn near challenging Harry as she said, "Why don't you try it and find out what happens?"

There was a pause as Harry weighed the look in her eyes with possible repercussions. Then a flash of movement later and Tracey was across Harry's lap so fast she found herself looking around in shock at the change of her location. "I wonder, if this is one big tease or if you're willing to back up your words with action." Harry said his tone light, but with a hint of sexual predatory intent.

Tracey looked up into the blue eyes of her girl friend and winked, "Give it a go Professor."

Harry smirked, and moved his hand up as if to slap Tracey's backside, then brought it down in that movement only to come to a standstill a nanometre before contact, instead caressing her bum instead. "There is one problem with that scenario." He said his voice intimate as he softly Tracey the curve of her arse with his hand.

Tracey's no dilated pupils look up at him with difficulty due to the angle, "What would that be?" she asked her eyes holding a slightly smug look in them, as if she knew he would not actually do it.

"What if I accidentally really hurt you?" he asked, drawing Daphne's interest at that proclamation, "I'd not want to do that, besides there is a time and a place for playing that sort of game, and this doesn't feel like the right time." He added still softly caressing her behind, which Tracey had to admit, was driving her to distraction.

He smiled, "Besides I happen to know spanking isn't your thing, Tracey." He added drawing a turned on, but surprised look from the woman in question.

"Oh really, you think you know my thing, do you? We're getting close you and me, but do you think you know me that well?"

"We are indeed getting close, close enough that I've observed a few things about you." Harry said, and his hand began to drift towards the hem of her dress, "Things that others might miss I suppose- Thing of it is, you're an astoundingly sensual woman, in a way that I don't think lends itself to any form of- punishment games."

Tracey was now looking a little surprised. "I think, in fact, that you would prefer reward games." Harry added his tone of voice almost hypnotic by that point. Daphne looked between the two, surprised at the depth of Harry's knowledge of her girlfriend, and becoming turned on by the intimacy that was building up between them all with effortless ease. Harry it seemed was even sexier than she had realised and at that, exact moment was exuding a quiet sexuality that was damn near erotic in proportion.

Harry smiled, "So- what we need to do is come up with a game that matches the mood, now don't we?" he asked, his voice still in that low register that was driving Daphne up the wall. He looked at her with twin emerald pools filled with sin, "She's you girl Daphne, what do you think we should do?"

Daphne smiled invitingly at him, "I can think of many things at the moment that I would like her to do. Given where her head is near," She purred back, a little shocked at her for saying it and she had to admit horny as all hell at the same time.

Tracey looked at her with a mix of shock and desire. "Then Daphne I think the first round is for you- what would you have her do?" Harry asked, also horny as hell but remaining in control and teasing with an effort of Herculean will power.

Daphne looked down into bright blue eyes filled with desire for her, and had a bit of a silent conversation. They had touched on Tracey's hopes for the night and this was in line with that, and perhaps more besides. It had turned around a bit on Tracey for sure; she had planned on being in control and leading the charge somewhat. It amused Daphne that Harry had turned the tables on her so easily, and aroused her no small amount as well. She looked from her girlfriends permission giving gaze into Harry's expectant eyes, seeing that he was willing to put a stop to the game at her insistence in his emerald regard she knew then there was no way she was going to do so. She shifted back on the couch, hooking one leg up on to the couch, leaving the other supporting her and spreading her legs invitingly at the brunette woman over Harry's lap. "She knows what I like." She purred, "If she's a good girl, then you can give her a reward Harry."

"How will I know if she's being a good girl, good enough for her reward?" Harry asked with the devil in his eyes.

Daphne smiled, "Oh you'll know sexy, you'll know."

"She's a screamer," Tracey put in with an evil smirk moving forward so she was positioned between her girlfriends thighs but still uncovered enough that she was able to look into Daphne's eyes for a long moment. The look in her sapphire gaze turned on Daphne, as it always did, desire, longing a little awe and a lot of playful naughtiness warred in the brunette's regard.

Daphne relaxed backwards, shifting forwards slightly for ease of access and looked into Harry's eyes. What she saw astounded her, it was much the same look Tracey often gave her, but there was something else lurking there, something primal and exciting that made her pulse race. She was shy around others, other than Tracey at least, shy about her sexuality at least, but she was not feeling shy she felt powerful. She felt like a goddess about to be worshiped and that was quiet an intoxicating feeling.

Tracey licked her lips, and looked down, "You tart, no knickers." She commented playfully her voice a charged purr.

Daphne smiled, "You saw me getting ready and I you, and we're both knickerless tonight darling as you well know." Daphne shot back, "Now you need to be a good girl or no reward for you."

Tracey ran a tongue from the top of Daphne's hold ups towards her already moist core eliciting a purr of desire from the blonde under Harry's watchful and lustful eyes. Tracey shuffled forward a bit and shifted a little the end result was her dress riding up enough that Harry became quite distracted for a moment, looking at her thighs thoughtfully before he was brought back to the proceedings by Daphne's drawn out hiss of pleasure. He was slightly annoyed with himself that he had missed the moment of engagement; he found he badly wanted to see Daphne's pussy just as Tracey began to lick her. He had missed it, but he had compensations, Daphne's beautiful eyes were indescribably sexy as she caught his gaze and held it. Her pupils dilating and making her almost ice blue eyes appear darker in hue. Harry's eyes managed to convey that he was extremely turned on already by this game and Daphne loved that look of absolute desire.

Daphne let her legs sag apart a bit giving Tracey freer access, of which she took advantage. Trusting Harry to hold her in place she reached out and curled a hand around the tops of Daphne's thighs using that to pull herself in closer to the blonde. Daphne hissed as she felt Tracey's talented and experienced tongue begin to work its magic. Starting with her labia and quickly playing her like a finely tuned instrument. Her familiarity with Daphne meant she knew exactly how to please her and she was wasting no time in bringing Daphne to the plateau of pleasure.

Daphne was moaning now, her head lolling back and pleased noises emitting from deep in her throat. Tracey hummed as she felt Harry's erection pushing into her lower stomach, showing how much he was enjoying the show.

"It looks like she's being a good girl then Daphne," Harry commented with a voice like molten silk.

"V.V. Very, good girl," Daphne mewed erotically her hand bunching in Tracey's long locks, holding her in place against her sex.

"Does she deserve her reward yet do you think?" Harry continued to purr at her in a voice that was making it hard for her to think thoughts other than sexually charged scenes of depravity.

"N.N. Not just yet." Daphne said, smiling sexily at him, looking up and meeting his gaze.

"Merlin you're beautiful, and so- so- so sexy," Harry breathed.

Daphne's eyes became even more charged, "Not… so-oh yeah Tracey right there- Bad yourself."

"Aren't you getting- warm?" Harry asked the devil himself twinkling in his eyes.

Daphne smiled, nodding her head in a distracted fashion, "So- hot, and very wet."

Harry gulped, not quite, what he meant but by god did he like the imagery. "Can I ask you a question?" he suddenly asked, looking amused and curious.

Daphne just about managed to focus enough to say, "Anything,"

"If Draco hadn't turned up, would you and I have gotten further than a kiss do you think?" Harry asked his voice still silky smooth.

Daphne, a little too far gone to lie said, "Wanted to," in a rush, a pause, then, "Shag,"

Tracey heard her and suddenly redoubled her efforts with a moan. "Oh fuck," Daphne, said her breathing now ragged and laboured her face flushing and eyes stunning with her desire.

"I knew I hated that guy for a reason," Harry commented, his curiosity quenched, but he actually wished he had not asked. Of course there was a fair chance he might yet get to give her what she had apparently wanted in that hallway.

Daphne chuckled slightly, before letting out an erotic and drawn out moan as Tracey really started to go to work on her she found her spare hand wandering across her body and noticed that Harry was watching its path with great interest. She met his heated gave and smiled seductively, feeling very sexy and wanton and more importantly desired she started to pop the buttons on her costume.

Harry was transfixed as at more and more lace was shown to his hungry gaze. He had expected skin, but apparently Daphne was not wearing merely a bra but some sort of extreme sexy Basque made of white lace. As the two halves of her uniform were spread apart, he could see her wonderful breasts encased in lace, her hard and darkened nipples showing clearly through the sheer material. He swallowed past a sudden obstruction in his throat; they were so god damn sexy it was hard to remain in control and thinking at all. Daphne enjoyed his eyes as they became even more erotically charged; her own virtually locked to his as he eyed her with honest appreciation and lust. Normally when a guy looked at her in a sexual way she felt nothing, but with Harry- She felt like a goddess and the most sexy thing on the face of a planet, she felt like a Veela must do all the time.

She cupped her breast and toyed with her nipple through the lace teasing her self and Harry at the same time. Next, she worked on the thick band of blue that served as a belt, undid the last few fastenings and let the costume fall to either side of her body.

Harry thought it was entirely possible he would orgasm just by looking at her, she was curvaceous in all the right places, flat in all the right places with tone exactly where it should be and so extremely beautiful he felt real awe in his soul at the sight of her.

Daphne was starting to loose control, with the way he was looking at her and Tracey's experienced mouth between her legs she had little chance really, but she didn't want the moment to end, and certainly not the night. She felt there was little chance of that happening though, not yet at least. There had to be several rounds of the game left for sure. Her eyes closed and she let out a little yelp of pleasure as Tracey played with her Clitoris with her tongue, knowing these were Tracey's finishing moves she damn near braced herself for what she was sure would be a damn fine orgasm.

However, Tracey backed off the pressure a bit, apparently, she wanted this round to last a little longer as well, that was fine with Daphne as much as she ached for release, and she was riding high on the moment at the same time.

Harry for his part was thanking god and hoping he ruled forever from heaven if he gave gifts like this on a regular basis. He was not about to vocalise that thought though but it was most certainly in his head. He was feeling more than a little stoked, almost painfully so in fact since Tracey was pretty much lying on this evidence of his arousal. She weighed damn near nothing despite her curves still; it was a restriction that was beginning to make him ache. Of course, he would rather place his arousal somewhere much snugger but then the ache would be of an entirely different sort. Besides, he knew Tracey was up for just about everything but penetration of that part of her with that part of him. That said however… He began by caressing her knee playing with the sensitive pleasure point at the back of her knee and making her squirm a little in his lap.

Then as Daphne became increasingly loud, he decided he had the signal he was waiting for and moved his hand slowly up the back of her thigh pushing up her dress as he did so, until finally he had her naked arse framed by the garter belt standing proud on his lap. He growled slightly at the sight of her pert rear posed so erotically and caressed the soft skin with an almost loving movement of his hands. She continued to squirm at the movements, shifting in such a way that her backside was pointing upwards even more, damn near invitingly in fact.

Harry debated on a proper reward for the beautiful brunette's pleasing of her girlfriend. Her hips bucked slightly, showing just how aroused she herself was feeling at that moment and he smirked slightly, with an almost rough movement he made her point her rear in the air a little more and part her thighs.

Daphne yelped as Tracey suddenly become a little less controlled in her movements, her luminous eyes opened and she looked over at Harry and found the reason why. Tracey's shapely arse was sticking up and Harry was working a hand between her thighs with a professional air about his movements. His eyes were molten and his expression dark in a sexually charged way. He caught her gaze and increased his ministrations, "She's obviously being a VERY good girl," he purred at the enquiring gaze of the beautiful blonde. She moaned; she actually found herself moaning at the tone and pitch of his voice. Wondering what it felt like to have his hand down in such an intimate place. He smirked at her widely suddenly and removed his hand from between Tracey's thighs. His eyes predatory and filled with lustful intent he brought up his hand, fingers glistening with the evidence of Tracey's pleasure. Then Daphne's eyes widened as his two main fingers began to glow slightly, it was barely visible but noticeable all the same. Then he winked at her and moved he hand back to where it had been.

Daphne came hard as Tracey suddenly latched onto her clitoris and sucked hard enough to be almost painful, Tracey herself screaming but muffled by Daphne's body as she orgasmed at the exact same moment. Harry smiled laconically and somewhat smugly, knowing damn well he had just caused two orgasms on two different women while only touching one. He considered that an achievement worthy of some smugness.

Tracey, after a good long moment lifted her head from between her girlfriends' shapely thighs and looked back over her shoulder at his smug smile, which was growing. "You bastard," she said with no real feeling behind the words, her eyes lust filled and amused, but not angry.

Harry grinned unrepentantly at her, "Not a bad first round I'd say." Harry commented, reaching over to grab his glass from the table and taking a sip. Trying to ignore just how painfully hard he was at that moment.

Tracey began to sit up and found herself pushed back down so she was still across his lap. She looked back into dark green eyes filled with stunning amounts of desire, "The game hasn't ended," he told her, putting the glass back on the table and hand back between her legs, "Now we're onto round two."

"What's round two?" Daphne asked.

"Sudden death," Harry replied, "First one to come looses," he told them. "The winner chooses their reward; the looser has to pay a forfeit of my devising."

Tracey and Daphne locked gazes, "It's hardly fair with that trick of yours." Tracey said pouting slightly, "I'm bound to loose."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, "That's probably true, though it seems you have a few tricks of your own given Daphne's vocal enjoyment… Tell you what then, I'll - step out for this round, and then it's a direct completion between the two of you."

The two lovers looked at each other sexily, "We've not tried that before," Daphne noted.

"No- well, at least not officially, or in any- measured fashion."

"Then it's a go I think," Harry, said taking to the role of games master with damn near glee.

He lightly slapped Tracey's bare arse with a smirk at the resounding noise it made, "Damn I could bounce a knut off of that arse." He commented with a grin.

"The only nuts that will ever bounce off my arse will be yours when I let you fuck me later on Harry," Tracey told him her tone honeyed.

Harry looked at her with a little surprise, "urh-."

"Yes Harry, I'm going to let you fuck me tonight," Tracey, purred, "I know I said I wanted to wait- this is what I was waiting for, tonight is the night I will take you inside of me and god am I looking forward to it."

Harry found his gaze drawn to Daphne, "You- are alright with this? She's your girlfriend after all; I have no wish to come between you."

"Oh you will - come - between us," Daphne told him with a saucy smile on her face.

Harry gulped slightly and then smiled, "Then ladies please assume the starters position," he said with amusement leaking from his pores.

"You don't actually know what that is do you Harry?" Tracey guessed with amusing inaccuracy.

"Logistically speaking I think I can guess, having been in a similar position once myself." Harry replied glibly.

"Lucky girl," Daphne commented, shifting so she was sat straight as Tracey crawled off Harry's lap, pausing long enough to lay a kiss on the tent in his trousers.

Harry growled at the move playfully and stood up so he was out of the way for the next 'event'. Tracey led back down turning onto her back at the last moment, Daphne shifted so her legs where either side of the brunette's head and slid her hands down the supply lines of her lover as she sank down so they were in the classic Ying Yang position.

"On my mark then," Harry said through a suddenly tight voice, he had liked Tracey's naked skin and he loved the sight of Daphne's pert behind flashing him in all its glory.

The two women chuckled slightly, both with hooded eyes as they looked at their lovers' sex mere inches from their faces.

"God I'm glad I've got a photographic memory now," Harry muttered before adding in a louder tone, "Begin," and sitting down on the table to watch with great desire and no small amount of academic interest.

Once he had said the word begin Harry realised that they knew he was there, but he did not really exist to them, or at least he thought he knew. He had no idea that his mere presence was already pushing their buttons and their familiarity with each other's body not pending; it was already easy to see they were hot for each other. Either way Harry remained silent, eyes glued to the highly erotic sight of the two lovers pleasing each other with their tongues and mouths, at least to begin with as time went on or Harry found it increasingly hard to think against the roar of his draconian nature to mate with them they began to branch out somewhat into digits. The erotic noises of their union was loud in the room, heavy breathing laying the base line for the melody of wet noises that touched a part of Harry that normally lay dormant. His inner Neanderthal, he kept it under wraps as best he was able, but frankly there was a very inviting target not far from him and it was taking all his will power not to replace Tracey's mouth with his cock and drive Daphne and himself to some form of release.

That was not the game though, and it was such a very pleasant game they found themselves playing. He had started to time them mentally as soon as he had said begin, he was not sure why only that he wanted to. Perhaps as a way to remain in complete control, perhaps for pure scientific study. He was sure this would normally take hours, but the aim was to make the other loose control and from the heady mixture of noises emitting from female throats he knew they were dangerously close to coming in at a tie. He ached to find some release himself, but frankly if he did that he was likely to just loose, all control and at that moment, he needed to remain aloof as it were.

Harry could not see exactly what they were doing to each other, particularly Daphne's movements as she was hidden virtually from view. Tracey he had a better viewpoint for, and was taking mental notes, as her tongue flicked around Daphne's labia with practiced movements that were making the blond shudder all over. Occasionally her tongue would flick over Daphne's clitoris teasing her every so often. Harry knew this was a 'hot button' so to speak and had thought that if one were wanting to win one would concentrate in that area, but apparently, he was wrong. He did not really realise how damn sensitive that part of a woman could be, depending on the woman. He had a lot of knowledge, but a lot of that knowledge was not based in a great deal of personal application and for obvious reasons he was not keen to sort through those memories of his various donors. He had a bit of an insight from Hermione about what she liked to do to her self, and damn was that not a pleasant thought. The thing with the memory download process was it was just that, a download it was not selective. He knew her fantasies now, exactly how she liked to touch herself and with some extreme pride who she fantasised about. The pride because of late and on occasion over the years, it was his name she called out. He also had some biological knowledge to go along with what he was watching. Hermione herself had never done this before, but she was interested he knew that for a certainty now.

Not that the thought of being able to watch that did not give him a thrill, hell he was getting one now in fact. It was just thanks to the download she had all but forced on him he knew her rather intimately now, and found himself looking at things from a radically new point of view at times. Luckily, he had not started fancying himself or anything so it had its limits. That thought damn near made him laugh, but he held it in. Controlling himself by allowing his mind to wander was one thing; suddenly bursting into giggles would not only terribly un-cool, but also probably suicidal. Therefore, he refocused with a smile and a little more control over himself, not that it lasted long. The sight of Daphne's beautiful sex being lapped at almost lovingly by the equally beautiful Tracey had him sweating again with seconds. He wanted to join them like crazy but could not quite see how without them stopping what they were doing and fucking up the game. He did not want that, not even slightly.

Tracey was groaning quite a bit now, the blonde haired beauty working between her thighs driving her batty as she strained to hold on as best she could, but it was not working. Daphne had a slight advantage really, she had had the edge taken off her normally, whereas Tracey had come almost contentiously and frankly, it was not quite the same. She knew that at that point she was going to loose this round, but honestly in this game there seemed to be no losers that she could see. Other than the fact that poor, old Harry was obviously as solid as a rock and gagging for some form of release. Tracey knew she was going to have sex with Harry that night no matter what happened with Daphne. Which was not a thought she should have allowed herself, because suddenly the image of Harry doing to her what she had seen him doing to others filled her head? The memories of their time together in a sexual way hit her like a tonne of bricks and the next thing she knew she was having an orgasm that ripped out a scream of pleasure from her and her entire body appeared to be spasming let alone her fluttering vaginal muscles clenching around Daphne's long digits.

After Tracey had run the course Harry said in a low tone, "I declare Daphne the winner," he said, but Tracey had not stopped her ministrations for long and as he spoke, she too began to orgasm vocally causing a quirky smile to appear on Harry's face. "Now I'm not so sure, was that a draw?" he asked with an almost mocking tone, "You came so close together that I think in fact I'm going to have to declare a draw, oh dear, whatever shall we do to resolve this." He said with mock thoughtfulness in his tone.

The two beauties looked at him with almost identically charged expressions. "How about we see who can suck you hardest." Tracey said her eyes molten.

Harry blinked, and then gulped slightly as Daphne looked at his crotch hungrily. "I erh…" he said trailing off as Daphne crawled off Tracey and helped the other woman to her feet. Then they knelt in front of him with matching grins on their faces.

"Surely you are in pain by now sexy." Daphne said

"Pretty much," Harry admitted.

"Why didn't you say?" Tracey asked, knowing the answer.

"I really don't want to do anything that would risk your relationship." Harry admitted, "I can- take care of myself if need be, but this game is fun so I don't see a reason to stop it."

"Do you want us Harry?" Daphne asked.

"You're kidding right?" Harry asked with a highly ironic tone, "A gay blind man would want you two."

Daphne snorted in amusement, and smiled, "We want you Harry we've had a chat Tracey and I and frankly we both want you, tonight nothing is taboo, no regrets, no limits you, me, Tracey and astounding amounts of barely legal sexual activity. You want to fuck me bent over the headmasters' desk. Got the password? Let's go! You want to take Tracey hanging of a broom twenty feet in the air - where's the broom. Us giving you some relief - not quite so daunting a task compared is it now." She said her eyes liquid with both amusement and desire. "On the other hand if you want to continue to watch Tracey and I pleasure each other I'm hardly going to say no to having sex with my lover. It's just we figured you'd quite like to be - included."

Harry was silent for a moment before a grin split his face, "Daphne, come here there is something I wish to finish with you."

Daphne smiled and moved up and their lips met. That same spark happened that she had felt before and this time, there were not pretensions, no interruptions and before too long she found herself sat in his lap a hand on her thigh and feeling utterly aroused. They broke the kiss and Daphne spared a slightly worried look towards Tracey, they had talked, but this was acting and she was worried her girlfriend may be jealous. She was not; if anything, she looked ready to pop with the amount of burning desire simmering in her expression.

"I don't know why, but that turned me on more than anything else I've ever seen in my life. Bare in mind, I like to watch and do it often." Tracey said her voice a rough purr that sent thrills between them all.

"What about our game?" Harry asked with a slight smile.

"I think adjudication says that we were at a draw so we both get a reward." Daphne put in a devilish twinkle in her eyes, "I propose that Tracey and I - set each others reward."

Harry's smile was lazy and sexy and was crawling up on his face, he had the feeling he was going to enjoy their reward choices. Tracey smiled in much the same fashion and said, "I'll agree to that on the condition that I get to go first."

Daphne pouted playfully and Harry kissed it off her lips without thought of how familiar that move really was, but since she beamed at him, he did not think she had a real problem with it. The fact was he had an amazingly sexy woman sat on his lap looking a million galleons in a lace Basque and there was no way he did not want to kiss her at every opportunity. Moreover, those fire engine red lips were just too enticing a target to ignore.

Tracey smiled fondly at the two of them, glad to see them relaxing so easily with each other, two of the most important people in her life were bonding in the way she had hoped they would. Of course, there was always room for upping the stakes considerably. "I happen to know from close observation that right now Daphne is more than ready and - lubricated so I think we'll do this in reverse order."

Harry and Daphne both looked a little mystified at that pronouncement. "Daph, come here." Tracey said taking Daphne by the hands and tugging her to standing. Willing to play along but unsure what Tracey was planning Daphne allowed her self to be pulled upright and then positioned so she was pretty much bent over the arm of the sofa.

Finally, the two clueless got the clue, "Oh," Daphne said then smiled sexily, "This will be- new."

"Harry come here, there is something in particular I want you to do." Tracey told him pulling him up also and making him stand in a rather obvious position behind Daphne. "You like her hair, hold on tight to it and shag that beautiful pussy stupid." Tracey said her voice a honeyed purr filled with delicious lustiness.

Harry blinked, smiling, but surprised still. Then he looked at Daphne how was looking back at him over her shoulder her eyes filled with nerves, but mostly desire. His hands came to rest on her hips and he held her in a familiar fashion but made no move to free himself from his constrictive trousers. "You alright with this Daph?" he asked, his tone gentle, "Games aside, you don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Daphne smiled at him and the nerves he saw in her expression cleared, "Harry I've been wondering what this would feel like since I kissed you. Tracey knows that, which is why she has set us up like this. Trust me Harry, I'm ready, willing and I think able."

Tracey knelt beside Harry and worked on his trousers as the two would-be lovers looked at each other hotly. Harry chuffed out a laugh suddenly realising that Tracey had partially undressed him while he was enjoying the look in Daphne's eyes. "Sneaky little minx," he admonished Tracey with a damn near soft smile.

She bobbed her eyebrows at him, "You know you like it."

"I do, I really do," he said with a smirk. Then Daphne shifted and he was reminded that he was behind a beautiful girl with his cock virtually reaching for her by its self. She was already breathing quite hard, the waiting stretching the pre-pleasure to breaking point and testing her patience far too hard.

"Now Harry, I just want you to get in there, you understand?" Tracey asked.

Harry looked at her carefully, and curiously.

"She's ready for you; I promise you won't hurt her." Tracey assured him seeing the question in his expression, "Harry - she's positively gagging for it." She added with a purr, "So am I, so let's do it hmm?"

"I've wanted to do it with you for a while now Tracey," Harry replied with a twinkle in his eye before he focused on Daphne who was looking back at him with an almost beseeching expression in her eyes. He used his hand to line up with her core, took a breath and pushed forward slowly.

Suddenly he paused, "We've always been fairly upfront with each other, haven't we Tracey?" he asked in the same fashion.

Tracey looked at him with some surprise, "We have," she told him wondering what he was pausing for, poor old Daphne was growling at that point. Drawing out the moment was good, sometimes, but Daphne was literally dying for what Harry had.

"I'd like that to continue and with Daphne included." Harry said, now his voice conveyed he was worried about something.

Daphne noticed that through the haze of lust and frustration she was currently shrouded in and looked back at him, "I'd like that."

"I've heard this can be painful the first time, and I'm a little concerned about hurting you Daphne."

Tracey smiled, once again he had proven how special he could be, "That's true Harry but that's largely due to the Hymen being broken."

Harry's face cleared, "Ahh the wand trick," he said as if it was all clear now.

Tracey smiled, "not this time Harry, but I'll explain that later ok."

Harry nodded, "Ohhhh fuck," he said as Daphne suddenly pushed backwards, her mouth gaped open with a long sigh of ultimate pleasure falling from her lips as she took Harry in his entirety and by surprise. He slid into her easily, bearing out Tracey's claim and was entered into a world of moist heat that burned as brightly as the passion eh now felt. Daphne shifted her hips a little pushed back against him, trying to claim every single part of his shaft she could fit in and she was pleased to note it was a nice tight fit that send tendrils of pleasure shooting through her nervous system like fireworks going off.

Harry reached out and curled her long locks around his fist, as he was told to take a good grip and his spare hand clenched onto her slender waist and held her firmly.

Daphne let out a little mew of pleasure that made him growl in response and then the game was afoot, not the game they had been playing but the oldest game of all. He pulled back out of her slowly, feeling every twitch, every move of her body as he slowly pulled into the cooler air, then with a slight tug on both her hair and waist he drove back into her to the hilt.

Daphne let out a yelp and shot a hot look back over her shoulder at him, eyes wide with shock and desire in a cocktail that made her the single most erotic looking woman in the world to Harry at that moment. Harry then set a frustrating pace for them both, drawing out slowly and pushing in fast seemingly hitting every pleasurable point in her pussy with each thrust. To Daphne, at least, it felt that way he filled her owned her with each forward movement of his hips, she had never felt as full as she did at that moment, as desirable as seeing the look of almost awe on Harry's face and lust in Tracey's as she looked back at her Girlfriend. She knew Tracey liked to watch, but she had never had the chance to watch Daphne in the act. Something about the look in the dark haired woman's eyes made Daphne feel like a goddess and the fact Harry was pushing her limits just made things all the better.

To Harry he felt like he was in a pleasurable vice full of heat and lust her molten sex holding him tightly in it's grip, moving out of her hurt him to do, but plunging back was like arriving in heaven with each and every single thrust. He knew he wasn't going to last too long with those sensations flooding his system and once again the old standby of Arithmancy puzzles helped him keep control, he knew damn well he wasn't getting a single answer right, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he had a sex goddess bent over in front of him moving like they were partnered in the stars against him and he needed to cool off before he lost it.

"I've died and gone to voyeur heaven," Tracey breathed, moving to sit on a nearby chair so she had an unrivalled view of Harry and Daphne's coupling, she cocked one leg up on the arm of the chair and pulled up her skirt. With that view she just had to touch herself, she had to wonder if Daphne was going to be so giving with her choice of reward because from the look on the blondes face Tracey would be getting a fruit basket of thanks for some time to come. She wanted to feel what Daphne was experiencing, she'd seen that look before and knew Harry felt good to be wrapped around from that look alone, now she was tiring of watching the action, she wanted in on it.

Neither heard her, or really noticed her as she moved against each other, Harry thrusting faster now and Daphne crying out her pleasure with each stroke. The Blonde was flushed and breathing hard and Harry's face was a mask of concentration as the game unfolded between them. Harry thrust particularly hard on the next stroke and Daphne yelped loudly her eyes shooting wide open in pleasured shock. Then she looked back with lidded eyes at Harry, "Fuck me harder Harry," she ordered, no request in her tone it was lust crazy demand for what she wanted, "Harder, faster, deeper," she breathed as Harry began to pump into her from behind. Each thrust driving into her with more force, delving into her core at speed and pounding her towards her own personal nirvana. She reached forward, bracing herself against the back of the sofa as his thrusts managed to move her with each downward stroke. Her mouth open in a pararody of a scream, but the sound coming out was not a scream it was a primal expiration of pleasure. He shifted her slightly, in the process pushing her thighs closer together, making her even tighter and the pleasure began to become almost painfully intense. Her cry's became muffled as she buried her head forward and bit the arm of the chair, white teeth managing to sink into the tough material to contain the noise she really wanted to make.

"Don't hide it, scream my name Daphne. Scream it to heaven." Harry said his voice a studied lesson in passionate speech.

Daphne glanced over her shoulder and pushed her self upwards so she was holding herself on her hands, back arched changing the angle again and finding that little bit of extra pleasure. "FUCK, FUCK ME FUCK ME Harry FUCK ME!" she demanded, screaming the words, as he had demanded.

Harry grunted a little as he managed to up the tempo even further and was now driving into her with passionate abandon. Daphne gave up all pretence of control and let out a continuous stream of sound, alternately screaming his name and begging him to pound her harder, faster deeper and above not to stop. Harry listened to her entreaties and drove himself harder and faster, tugging on her hair in a way that gave her pain, but pain was pleasure now and pleasure was jus plain pleasure Daphne could feel nothing else but. Her breasts were moving in her Basque, the sound of their joining a wet slap of flesh on flesh. Her voice rose in the song of lust and Harry's concentrated face as he fought off from loosing himself inside of her beautiful body.

"I'M COMING" Daphne suddenly yelped, the last word becoming a slur as she crested and had one of the most intense orgasms of her life. Yet Harry drove on, pushing her further and further into the land of desire that she became utterly incoherent, but managed to get her point across just fine. Do not stop, keep pushing, driving her to higher reaches of white pleasure. Then with another final yell, she managed to ride a continuous stream of three consecutive orgasms, and slumped. Harry kept pushing but she had reached her limit for the moment and one word panted out brought him to a sudden stand still, "Stop."

Therefore, he did, dead, still inside of her feeling her vaginal muscles fluttering around his hardness as she continued to orgasm around his shaft. She was utterly out of control, riding that wave as it washed through her repeatedly, orgasm coming after orgasm even though he had stopped his movement. Until finally the waves began to slow and then finally stop leaving her an utterly satiated tangle of limbs leaning heavily over the arm of the sofa. She looked back at him with a pleasured but tired expression with shock in her eyes and no small amount of awe. "Thank you," she breathed before laughing slightly causing Harry a little discomfort that in his current state still managed to feel good. "Oh fuck that was good," she breathed. Then she frowned, "Oh baby you didn't get to come." She suddenly realised.

Harry smiled to show he was not mad about that, and then a voice interrupted them, "I'll deal with that; Harry if you don't fuck me now I'll kill you." Tracey told them, and especially Harry. He looked back to see her draped in the chair her moist sex glistening slightly in the soft light and her fingers toying with herself.

"Your wish is my command," he breathed with a smile.

With that, Tracey dived at him, knocking him away from Daphne, whom he just managed to remove himself from as Tracey hit him. They fell to the floor and Tracey was a blur of passionate movement above him as her Dress was torn off over her head and she looked down at him naked but for a garter belt, stockings and the heels she had worn that evening. "I've wanted this for a long time," she said reaching down with a sense of familiarity and held his shaft in her slender hand.

"Me too," he breathed, and with that and no other preamble she sank down onto him her face becoming the very meaning of pleasure as she finally took him into her body.

Harry let out expiration at their joining, "God you're tight," he told her.

She smiled at him with a hooded gaze, moving slower now as she adjusted for his size. Her blue eyes burned down at him from under heavy lids, her breasts tipped with hard nipples and her mouth curled into a seductive smile.

Daphne shifted around to watch them, she was more than a little mellow at that moment, but she could already feel the first stirrings of passion as she watched them join.

Tracey and Harry had been intimate in a way some couples never were had shared many experiences of late of a sexual nature but nothing had prepared them for actually being with each other. As Tracey slowly slid down Harry's shaft, the air seemed to fill with the promise of potential becoming heavy with desire. As she finally bottomed out on him, they looked each other in the eye as she began to move her hips.

Daphne watched them for a moment; Harry had been, at her request, hard and fast with her and Merlin had she loved it. This seemed different though; more intense she would have to ask him to do the same for her at some point. The two lovers moved slowly at first as Tracey tested her range of movement and began to slide up and down his rigid shaft with pleasured sighs spilling from her lips. Daphne watched as she leaned back pushing him deeply into her core her hair swinging down her back and breasts thrusting out proudly towards Harry. Harry wasted no time in reaching out and toying with them with practiced movements of his hands. Daphne knew they had never had sex before, but obviously, they had done much besides there was a sense of familiarity with each other's bodies that was akin to the one she and Tracey shared, it was erotic to watch, oddly, she did not feel jealous, she had thought she would. Instead, she felt desire, some odd sort of pride and a sense that something had started that night that would not end for a long time to come. She had a feeling that they were going to be very happy with the arrangement as well.

She relaxed back and watched as the two lovers teased each other and seductively had sex in a way that she knew she just had to try out with a small smile on her face. It was not conventional, but she knew she was going to cherish a relationship that was building between them all, she could just tell somehow.

Smile still in place she leaned back, gently touching herself as the sounds of their lovemaking became more urgent Tracey's voice raised with her exclamations of pleasure and Harry's joining her. She did not need to see them to know that they were both already dangerously close; her theory was born out a minute later as Tracey suddenly let loose with a primal call of carnal pleasure that managed to drown out Harry's own shout.

Lust filled Blue eyes looked down at them both for a long moment before they finally looked up at the blonde. She in turn smiled at them and said, "My turn again?"


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Harry managed to make it to breakfast the next day, though he was unsure how he did. Tracey and Daphne were now actually snoring in his quarters. The night had been just exactly what Daphne had predicted, in fact he was fairly sure some of the things they had gotten up to were in fact not legal in some countries. Needless to say he now had a new room in his mental construct labelled 'Halloween, Tracey + Daphne' and he intended to visit it when he was feeling down for some reason. No way on earth would he be feeling down after remembering that night that's for damn sure. He walked to his place on the Gryffindor table to a few glances from the men all somewhat jealous and to some glances from the females that were more along the lines of admiration. It was an odd feeling to be sure to know that the entire hall was fairly sure they  
knew what he had gotten up to the night before but it didn't do his reputation any harm, but he wasn't so sure about Tracey and Daphne's reputations. He would deal with that one when he came to it, or if it came to it. He had a feeling that his recent actions had brought him and anyone around him a certain latitude for a short amount of time. That said, if they hadn't he had an entire island he could populate if it came to crunch time.

He slid into place next to Hermione with Ron the other side of the table pointedly ignoring his presence and smiled his greetings as he piled food on to his plate.

"Worked up an appetite Harry," Dean asked with a barely concealed smirk on his face.

"Uh huh," Harry replied with a similar expression on his face. If no one asked him outright he wouldn't answer either.

Dean guffawed slightly into his breakfast causing Hermione to glare at him and then roll her eyes, "Men," she said in just about a breath.

"What would you do without us I wonder," Harry asked her with a grin.

"Well, the world would be an orderly place, and very peaceful," she paused thoughtfully, "yes it would be extremely boring forget I said anything."

It was Harry's turn to laugh, which he did and damn near choked on some bacon in the process. Dean backed away from the table suddenly as Hermione patted Harry on the back bringing them both up short.

Dean grinned at them, "I've noticed that every time Hermione 'helps' you of late I end up falling off of my chair, so I thought I would just cut out the middle man."

"I notice you didn't throw yourself on the floor though, perhaps I can remedy that," Hermione noted with a threatening move towards her wand.

Dean held up his hands with a big smile on his face, "I think I'm fine - thanks for the thought though Hermione."

Harry snorted a laugh and was brought up short when he noticed some commotion at the end of the hall where the teachers where. A ripple of shocked laughter went across the hall and all eyes turned towards the headmaster who was sporting a literal blue beard and appeared to have some birds nesting in it.

Harry nearly choked again and had to admit that Snape was better at this than he had thought he would be. The headmaster actually seemed fairly pleased by the roost in his almost royal blue beard and was trying to coax out one of the finches that had taken up residence there.

"Harry!" Hermione said whacking him on the shoulder.

"What? Hey now how do you think I had time to set anything up exactly. You may not have noticed but I've been a bit busy."

"Hmmm, that is true" she replied wryly, "Very busy and I did notice that neither of your 'guests' are here this morning, so just how did you manage to pull that off?"

"Wasn't me, I swear."

"Who else would dare prank the headmaster of the school, good grief he's actually petting one of the birds." Hermione cut herself off and looked at the mad old coot that masqueraded as their headmaster. "Shouldn't he be angry or something?"

"No one has managed to prank the headmaster since the days of my parents in the school as far as I'm aware, I expect he's been rather bored." Harry said with a big fat grin on his face, "Besides what's the fun of being a headmaster that everyone respects so much they wouldn't and I quote, 'Dare to prank'"

"Hmm, interesting observation," Hermione said with a smile then appeared to totally change track on him, "So we're going to visit the twins today and then you do remember what you promised to me don't you Harry?" the last was said in a tone that Harry had not heard from Hermione before, it was feminine and alluring and Harry liked it a LOT.

"I could never forget something like that Hermione," Harry said his own voice a little deeper than normal.

The two shared a heated gaze for a long moment and then Hermione broke it to look over to the headmaster who was conjuring a bird cage and coaxing his little friends into it. She shook her head at the supposedly venerable mans actions and then went back to her breakfast.

Harry let his gaze sweep the table and came to a sudden and abrupt stop at Ginny. He blinked a few times before looking around to see if anyone else had noticed. It appeared he was the only one which was freaking him out more than a little. Could it be that she had planted the little devil of lust in him even more deeply than he realised or had she really forgotten to change back her school uniform from the sexy version it had been the night before. After a few more looks around and catching Ginny's amused eyes he realised there was some sort of trick going on here and relaxed slightly. It had to be an illusions but when he focused his 'eye sight' to try to make sense of the spell or even see straight through it he had absolutely no luck in doing so.

As soon as breakfast was completed he quickly walked over to Ginny after making a quick excuse to Hermione about changing and telling her to go for smart casual clothing. Though in truth he had no idea exactly where he was taking her or what they would be doing as yet.

"Urh - Gin, a quick word if I may," Harry said pulling Ginny to one side which got him another mean glare from Ron. For once Harry totally ignored the man and instead was totally focused on Ginny.

"Of course Harry," Ginny replied with a feminine smile she allowed herself to be led to a quiet nook of the great hall. "Something the matter," she asked once Harry had constructed a silent space around them.

"Not wrong, per say."

"Then what Harry - don't you like it, you seemed to like my outfit well enough last night after all." Sh told him with a tone that was as sexy as it was teasing.

"Gin, I don't know how you are pulling this spell off but you can't keep it up, or I will be and I may be forced into rash action, because it's obvious not everyone can see that you're taller than normal and that's only the least obvious of the change to your attire."

Ginny smiled at him, "I've got you thinking of me the way I want you to now. What makes you think I want you to regress. That wouldn't do either of us any good and I am sure this outfit had a lot to do with your weakness last night so I'm keeping it on. No one else can see, no one at all. It's immune to most forms of seeing through spells and illusions that I was able to research in the library."

"You did all this last night?"

"Not all of it, but the majority of the spell work yes I did as well as making sure the changes to my uniform were permanent of course." Ginny said and trailed a finger around Harry's jaw, "I was thinking of flashing you on a regular occasion if my kissing plan failed so I cooked up that spell."

"That's bloody brilliant."

"The flashing idea, I thought it was."

"Well, yes, but I actually meant the spell. I think your brothers and I definitely have use for someone with the ability you have at creating spells."

"As pleased as I am to hear you say that, this wasn't an effort to get me recruited." Ginny said with a half pout.

Harry flashed a smile at her and backed away, "Bloody brilliant Gin, it's going to be interesting to see if I can keep my hands off you for the rest of term." He said and with that left her contained within the silent space as he walked off.

Ginny growled slightly, "Could have at least have given me a snog for the effort," she bemoaned. Just then Harry burst back in on her and kissed the heck out of her for a solid twenty seconds and meandered off like he hadn't just kissed the breath out of her body.

-#-

"I hear there will be fencing lessons on Hogwarts curriculum," a familiar voice said from near where Harry was waiting at the entrance to the school.

Harry half turned and was surprised to find that Susan Bones was standing there looking oddly nervous. As conversation starters went it wasn't that bad, as Harry replied, "Yes there will damn that old man to heck."

Susan rose an eyebrow at that proclamation, she was hoping he wasn't in fact talking about the headmaster and one of the most powerful wizards of their time. But then, if anyone could get away with it, it was Harry. "Not happy about that Harry?" she asked, flicking a stray strand of auburn hair over her shoulder and angling her head to the side to look at him semi seriously. She was embarrassed to be talking to Harry she had to admit to a large crush that had only grown since he had saved her magical existence. The fact that her Aunty had contacted her and told her to strike up some sort of 'relationship' with the boy-who-lived was even more pressure that she didn't need. That said if she was going to talk to him she may as well get to know the man behind the power, words and the public image.

She had a feeling she knew why her aunty was suddenly so interested in making her talk to Harry. It was all far too political for her liking quite frankly but it had been part of the reason she had worn such an outrageous costume at the ball. Though she hadn't have worried too much her choice of a slightly saucy looking Helga Hufflepuff hadn't even raised a brow when compared to some of the other costumes that had been on display.

"Not terribly no," Harry said sardonically, "I've been roped into helping with the class."

"Is that a problem you seem to know how to handle your weapon."

Harry rose an eyebrow at the unintended double meaning of that comment and replied, "I may have picked up some skills but I'm in need of training myself and now apparently I'm to be teaching others instead."

"I'm sure you're more than up to the task Harry"

"Thank you Sue, how are you by the way, no after effects I trust?"

"No, I'm well thanks to you Harry. By the way my aunty sends her best regards to you."

Harry half smiled, "That's kind of her, hmmm," he said trailing off and laughing slightly, "She put you up to talking to me didn't she?"

Susan blushed prettily at that and Harry nodded, "She's sneaky what house was she in just as a matter of interest."

"Hufflepuff," Susan replied.

"Hmmm, just goes to show you can't base an opinion on house alone I suppose."

"Why would you want to?"

"Exactly, but she is very sneaky you have to give her that. Tell me what are your aunts aspirations in politics?"

Susan blinked, and half frowned before replying, "Why do you want to know?"

"I like the way she thinks, sort of, and I like the way she was willing to help me so I'm thinking that it would be good to help her with those aspirations if it's in my power to do so."

Susan smiled at him, and then began to talk and was talking without really realising that she was chatting to Harry until finally Hermione came down and brought the conversation to a halt with her arrival.

Harry had stopped mid sentence so Sue knew something was amiss and turned to find out what he was staring at. It didn't take her long to find out as Hermione was standing there with a warm smile on her face and dressed to the nines. Sue had no idea where the other woman had gotten her Muggle looking smart casual clothing from but it was very nice to look at and she had apparently had some help doing her hair as it was much sleeker than usual. The skirt she was wearing was just above the knee and showed some nylon coated legs a smart looking blouse of a light color to compliment her darker coloured skirt and quite high heels adorned her feet.

"Just wow," Harry said and waived a hand down his body to make sure his clothing match which after it looked as if a wind hit it, it did. "I'm thinking of ignoring the twins meeting now."

Hermione smiled at him and nodded to Sue, "Hello Sue, I hope you don't mind if I steal Harry now."

"Of course not," Susan said with a slight smile and then realised she had been talking to Harry heart throb Potter for about an hour. It came as a bit of a shock since apart from the start she had hardly blushed at all.

"As for you Mr Potter, you need to have this meeting and I assure you you're worth the wait."

"I'll make sure of it," Harry said with a flirtatious tone that make the air shimmer with promise for a second. He turned to Sue, "Thanks for the chat and your company and please pass on to your Aunt that I'll be taking great interest in her career now and next time we meet we have much to talk about."

Susan blinked but flashed a slight smile that was as shy as it was strangely alluring. Harry flashed her a smile and a little wink as he held out an arm for Hermione.

Hermione walked to Harry and took the offered arm, "Flirt," she told him in an aside.

"You love it."

"Don't I though."

-#-

The journey to Fred and George was in much less Fan fare than before and the two young Griffindors stepped out of the same alley way, both in wizarding cloaks to cover their Muggle clothing.

"Why did you want to see the twins anyway," Hermione asked as they neared the luminous green shop front.

"Nothing major, just wanted to see how they were doing and give them some ideas for the phones." Harry replied with a slight smile on his face. Hermione knew from that smile alone that the twins would have their work cut out for them shortly. Then Harry continued, "I also wanted to check on the status of the CD resale chain they're trying to set up. I'm hoping that we'll get a lot of this set up just before Christmas to boost the sales throughout Christmas."

Hermione nodded, that seemed sensible to her. They entered the door to find that the weekend crowd was by order of some magnitude more busy than the weekdays and Harry smirked and turned to Hermione, "What's the betting they make enough money at the weekends that it eclipses their weekday sales so much they need not even open those days."

Hermione smiled and nodded her agreement with that and they walked to the main counter of the shop together to see George working the crowd and the till with the flair of a true salesman. He spotted them almost straight away and smiled widely. "Harry," he called out over the slight din the crowd was making and then entire place turned to look at the savoir of the wizarding world.

"I'll get you for that," Harry mouthed to the smirking George as the crowds surged towards Harry with parchment appearing as if by magic in hands and shouts for his autograph.

Hermione was jostled to one side away from the crowd and was watching almost agog as she saw Harry could actually handle a crowd quite well. George, now free from his salesman duties, walked to her side. "He's got the gift, shame he rarely uses it." He noted to who he was coming to think of as Harry's girlfriend, or at least Main Squeeze.

"He does, I wonder where he was hiding that."

"I think he's just gained in confidence this year and that's showing now. It gives me hope that Fred and I will be able to persuade him to head up HGF after all."

Hermione smirked, "Still calling it HGF then?"

George smirked back at her, "Of course, Harry's the main wizard there, he's had most of the ideas and I suspect he'll have many more. He sent us a parchment outlining some of the ideas he has for the company and the main aims for it and - well - wow is all I can say. The wizarding world doesn't stand a chance with hurricane Harry on the loose."

"He didn't tell me about sending you a plan," Hermione said mildly.

"You don't sound upset," George noted with a little surprise.

"Do I really come over so controlling as all that? I'm just happy he's happy, I don't want to control Harry in any way and frankly anyone that does is in for a rude shock and that's just from me, never mind what he does to them. Also, I'm his girlfriend for sure but that doesn't mean I want to limit his options either."

"Ahhh," George said with a slight nod of his head, "Ahh" he said with a more worried look on his face, "If he invokes that old law, and I suspect he will. My sister is going to be at the head of the queue."

"What old law?"

"Someone with his status in the wizarding world is entitled to more than one wife, there's this big ceremony and everything. I can see you being primary and then if she has her way Ginny would sign on in a heartbeat. Tell me, and forget I'm her brother for a second, do you think she's done what she set out to do?"

Hermione blinked away a little of her shock, she wasn't used to the twins, even singularly being so sensible. She then replied, "If you mean does Harry think of her like a sister I would say I don't think he ever did." She paused, "Now tell me more about this old law."

-#-

"So, how goes the CD resale plans?" Harry asked as he slumped into a spare chair in Fred and Georges backroom. It had taken a very long time to free himself from the crowds of well wishers and Autograph getters but he had gotten there in the end. Fred and George had left employee's in charge of the shop itself and joined Harry and Hermione in the backroom for a mini meeting of HGF.

"Very well, we should be able to sell a selection of artists in the next week or so, and we have instructions for the charms on special parchment that helps show through animated diagrams how to do the CD-charm. That we'll sell very cheaply or perhaps even for give away," Fred told him.

Harry nodded, "Good idea because the charm is spreading fast and I happen to know some of the older Purebloods, and by that I mean set in their way, students at Hogwarts are interested in the charm. I taught two last night myself."

Hermione let out a snort of amusement at that.

"I meant I taught them the charm"

"Was that before or after you wore them out?"

"Wore them out?" George said with the beginnings of a smile. He turned to his twin, "Our Harry - I'm so proud."

"He's all grown up," Fred said with a sniff and then a snigger.

"The point is they are old family purebloods and interested in the charm and of course what it plays. So the market is a bit bigger than I thought it was." Harry said with a slight smile and a mild glare at Hermione for starting the twins off.

"That's good news, so we'll give away the charm sheet then. The CD's will go for we think about 3 or 4 galleons and that's a good 2 galleons prophet for us per CD."

"You're kidding!"

Fred shook his head picking up where his twin had left off, "There is quite a large mark up for CD's, that said we were thinking of starting at a few knuts below that as an opening sale anyway."

"Okay I like it, now that's settled where are we putting it?"

"There is an empty shop next door not very big but nor are CD's and can be placed in magical storage easily."

"What about having a shop in Hogsmeade as well?"

"We where thinking the same," George said with a smile, "We'll look at opening that one when though?"

"Hmm, Just after the first one, okay next item the phones I had an idea for an emergency tracking charm. Some of the modern Mobile phones can be 'tracked' I won't go into detail because you wouldn't get what I was saying and frankly I don't know a lot myself. But the idea is that there is a tracking spell on each phone that can be activated. That way if someone goes missing they may be tracked using the phones. The Phone number storage device could keep the security of that information and we'd be the only ones other than the Aurors to know that. I think it would be important to only use that information in the cases of missing children and perhaps missing adults. Using it to track criminals if we absolutely have to. I know that sounds odd but we have to stop somewhere."

Fred turned to his brother and they shared a long look, obviously communicating through secret twin method number two as Hermione just shook her head with a slightly turned on smile on her face. "I love it when you use your mind," she said her voice a bit of a purr.

The twins chuckled at the tone of her voice but carried on 'talking' for a long moment, "We think there are problems inherent in that Harry we really do, but the benefits seem to outweigh the problems. We could end up with a society of watchers and watched if we're not careful."

"That's why we HAVE to secure the information and stick to our guns when it comes to the information being shared with the Aurors. I also think that there should be some sort of notice on the newly sold phones to warn and inform about the charm."

"Well then I think we can do that, truth be told scrying for an item isn't that hard anyway, so having a spell that 'stands out' to a scrying spell isn't hard to do."

Harry nodded then grinned, "Hermione thinks we should add a pleasure spell to the ring tones as well, ring, ring, oh my god, I think she said it should be."

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as the twins folded up.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hermione let out a small sigh as Harry's lips caressed the skin on her neck. Their date had been wonderful, a dinner

in Hyde Park and then watching the sun go down over the lake. All the time they were enjoying each others company

with good conversation and better company. She couldn't have imagined a better first date with the man that was,

and had been her best friend. He was so much more than that now though. As evidenced by the fact that he was

kissing her neck. She would've been far too scared to have made this move last year, but now she was lapping up the

attention as if it were her given right. Her hands were flattened against his pectoral muscles, not to push away but

just to feel the rigid muscle there. Her leg curled around one of Harry's which had the side effect of pressing her

lower body harder against him and driving up her skirt.

Tonight, was the night.

They both knew it; it was there in the air of the room that Harry had brought them too. It was a quite different room

than his quarters at Hogwarts. When asked he had only told her that it was somewhere safe, somewhere they

wouldn't be disturbed. The room had an old feel to it, and the dust sheets around did little to deter from that

impression. To Hermione it seemed to be a wonderful place to be with the man that she realised more and more that

she wanted to spend her days with. True, it wasn't the most conventional of relationships. She would be in amongst

a Harem of other girls; she knew that right off of the bat. But there seemed to be more than enough of Harry to go

around and boy when he was focused on one person, namely her, it was all she could do not to moan her throat out.

Harry's hands shifted Hermione's skirt further up her thigh, continuing his slow torture of her, but he was well aware

that it was a torture that she was happy to endure. His lips where trailing fire on her skin and the breath from his

mouth was making her come up in goose bumps wherever it touched.

Hermione let out another sigh as Harry managed to push her skirt up to her waist, and then frowned when he went,

"Huh?"

"What's the matter?" she asked her voice low and throaty.

"Urh - nothing just something urm tricky," Harry said with a hint of amusement in his expression and tone.

"What?"

"Tights, not something I've had to deal with before."

"Really," Hermione asked, her tone slightly annoyed and part curious. Annoyed because he wasn't doing that

wonderful kissing thing to her neck, but curious because most of the girls she knew wore tights, especially during

school term.

"Really, the elder generation in the Wizarding world wears stockings and it must just timing but I've not come across

tights on the younger."

"I can take them off Harry," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes and some amusement showing in her tone as well

now. It was just like a man to be thrown by something so simple.

"Nah, I got it," Harry said and promptly vanished her tights with a negligent wave of his hand. "Much better,

Hermione flesh naked to the eye and more importantly - the touch."

Hermione let out a soft smile as he attached himself back to her and entwined herself around him and held him close

as his hands glide on the naked flesh of her leg and then thigh.

"You've got great legs, just so you know."

"Hmm," Hermione purred.

Harry smiled against the silk of her skin and then captured her lips in a searing kiss straight from the loins; putting

them straight back to the intimacy levels they had attained before the tights had stumped him. He should be

embarrassed by that he was sure, but he wasn't. He felt totally at ease with Hermione, which is not something that he

would normally admit.

"Harry?" Hermione purred out.

"Yes, Hermione"

"Are we alone?"

"In the room, yes, there is no one watching us this time."

"Good, because I don't want my first time to be watched."

Harry smiled against her neck and then pulled her in for another knee knocking kiss.

His hands glided around her body as they kissed sending tendrils of pleasure through her system that she could not

quantify for a change. It was unusual for her to be letting herself go to a feeling like this, normally she analysed

everything to death almost, but she was determined not to do that in this case. She just lapped up all the attention on

her body as if it were her due. She did realise though that she wasn't living up to her end of the affair though and

soon was tugging on his shirt for him to remove it. He did so while still kissing the breath out of her and soon it

fluttered to the floor off to one side.

Slender hands slithered across his muscular chest and stomach as Hermione explored her lover's chest. He felt unreal

to her almost and she couldn't quite believe this was even happening to her. She had not thought of herself as a

sexual creature but with Harry there kissing her for all she was worth and the way that he looked at her she felt sexy

and powerful in a female way. It was intoxicating and she loved it. Now, she had something new to learn as well,

she had to learn what pleased him and what was good for them both and this was one area that she swore to herself to

fully learn to the utmost of her considerable ability for learning something new. Of course it wasn't the sort of thing

you learned from a book, it was better learned by doing and she was more than happy to do her home work when it

felt so damn good.

Harry finally broke off the kiss, just when Hermione was sure he would never stop and smiled at her sexily, though

she was unsure he knew any other way by that point. His hands went to her blouse and eyes begged an answer to an

unspoken question. Her eyes held all the reply that he needed and he began to slowly unbutton her blouse. Then he

tugged the tails of it out of her skirt and parted it over her black lace bra. "Like I said before, a very sexy image," he

noted wryly.

Hermione just looked at him with liquid eyes begging him to touch her, so that's exactly what he did as he caressed

her breasts through the black lace bra and almost seemed to weigh them in his hands. They were a good size, which

he had to admit was a slight shock but then school robes sucked in his humble opinion as they hid so very much from

the eye. It wasn't like she went out of her way to dress provocatively outside of class either but she had a certain heat

that could not be denied despite that. She leaned into his touch enjoying the sensation even while she did a little

happy dance in her head that Harry was touching her in such a way.

She wondered at that point what she was thinking before going after the 'other one' when Harry had been right in

front of her all the time. He was intelligent, he had proved that to her without a shadow of a doubt. The fact he had

so much knowledge in his head meant very little without the sheer brain power to use it. So sue her, but she found

that very sexy. He was loving and kind, and so very sexy that he made her knees knock with a simple kiss. She was

almost worried about what was to come because she doubted that she was going to be able to stand it all. He was so

very much more experienced than her and had, according to the legend in the school now, managed to tire out two

women and still make breakfast. The two girls in question had just smiled demurely when asked about it but the look

in their eyes was answer enough for Hermione.

Harry stepped closer and reached behind her, making her breathing catch in her throat for a moment. He had a

powerful aura and it was something else to be standing so close to him like she was at that moment, almost

intoxicating really. She felt her bra sag and then it was taken off of her and Harry stepped back slightly and cupped

her breasts again.

"Such a man," she joked, "Always about the breasts."

"What can I say, they're fabulous."

Her heart just skipped a beat at that she had to admit. Plus the feeling of his strong hands on her was driving her to

distraction. Her nipples distended into his palms and pressed against his skin and he smiled sexily at her before

stroking the flesh on her breasts and then toying with her nipple further teasing it to hardness and darkening it

significantly.

She was shocked when he ducked his head down and gave her left nipple a long hard suck that forced a gasp out of

her and her knees went weak. She knew her nipples were sensitive but this was something else. Her hand

automatically cupped the back of his head keeping him in place as he teased her with his mouth. Harry's tongue

swirled expertly around her nipple making her moan in delight and breath just that little bit faster.

Then his pulled back and let her fall from his mouth and then just looked at her for a moment, "You are so beautiful I

hope you realise that," he purred to her with a lust laden voice.

Hermione actually managed to blush at him at that moment because it hit her from left field. He'd been with so many

women lately she was sure she probably didn't rank that far, until he had said what he had just said. "Thank you, I'm

fairly impressed myself." Her voice was also heavy with the lust riding in her body and her eyes were hungry.

"I'm worried about a couple of things though," Harry said slowly.

"Go on," Hermione said even as he reached out and started on her skirts zipper. So obviously it wasn't that worrying.

"You'll always be my friend no matter what else won't you?"

Her smile was genuine and touched as she nodded her head and said, "Of course Harry, no matter what."

"The other thing is that I'm worried about hurting you. I don't suppose you know the 'wand trick' do you?"

Hermione laughed even as her skirt flowed to the floor and pooled around her high heeled feet. She stepped out of it

and kicked it to the side while saying, "Of course, I think we women all do."

"That's good then," Harry said with a slightly relieved smile. Then he pulled her tightly against him and whispered

into her ear, "Because I would never want to hurt you my darling Hermione."

Hermione gulped at the passion in his tone and the breath on her neck and placed her arms around him and hugged

him back, "Just be gentle," she asked though her tone belied her words with how needful it was.

They parted and Harry worked his belt so he wasn't so far behind Hermione but she had other ideas on that and was

already pulling down her black lace thong and pulling it off her body via her feet. Then she stood before him

beautifully, wonderfully naked. Her body was quivering slightly from desire for him. He finally managed to wrangle

off his trousers and his boxers followed them.

"I did that," Hermione asked her eyes wide.

"You're kidding right?"

"I'm oh god..." Her breathing was coming in fast pants at that point, "I'm so very - very horny Harry."

Harry pulled her naked form to his and kissed her senseless, his hand gliding down her body to rest on her pert

backside and caressing it lovingly. Her leg came up almost automatically and wrapped around his waist pulling him

close to her and coincidentally their pelvises were pushed hard together as well. The heat was coming off her in

waves by that point, the same heat he had noticed when he had kissed her before. She was probably quite nervous

but at the same time a passionate woman lurked beneath the librarian surface she portrayed to most.

"Take me," she said pulling back to look him in the eye. She pushed a hand between their bodies and lined up his

cock with her pussy and pulled herself upwards into his arms.

Harry turned them around and headed for the nearest wall, he was amazingly strong considering his size but even he

could not shag free standing. He pressed her against the nearest wall; they both ignored the coolness of it and he

pressed forward and upwards slightly.

Hermione's eyes actually crossed and she let out a long drawn out sigh as they became one. "Oooohhh harrrrrry," she

breathed looking him directly in the eye. Her eyes looked a little shocked and her pupils were fully dilated giving her

a very sexy but slightly vulnerable look that was really stoking Harry's fire.

"Are you ready," he asked his voice strained from holding himself back.

"Harry I've never been so ready for anything in my life," she purred at him before leaning forward and kissing him

hungrily.

Harry slowly drew out of her and then pumped back in slowly. Her eyes held a hint of wonder to them as he

continued to pump his pelvis and moved inside of her molten core. Her moans became louder and louder the longer

he continued and the sensations running rampant through her body were honestly beyond her ability to categorise in

any meaningful way. She had pleasured herself often as she had grown into her hormones, but nothing had prepared

her for the 'full' feeling she was experiencing. She could feel every bump on his shaft as he slid into her and her own

vaginal muscles gliding around his girth. It was totally amazing and she swore to herself then and there that she was

going to avail herself of the feeling as often as possible.

Harry was captivated by her eyes as he worked his own particular brand of magic with her. They were, quite

beautiful in ways he couldn't explain as they were joined and held that heat he loved so much about her. She began to

work with him at that point moving her own body in enticing and above all pleasurable ways for them both. Harry

knew from some experience that she was dangerously close; he also knew that he would be able to hold off for some

time to come. That suited him fine; he intended to make it as good as he could for her. She deserved no less after all,

she was special to him in ways no one else was. He pretty much realised that he loved all his girls for their individual

personalities but at the same time Hermione had always been with him and they shared a bond that he didn't share

with anyone else. He wouldn't exactly call it love; it was more of a soul mate thing like they were fated to be

together and not in a romantic sense necessarily. Either way he was going to do his very best for her, nothing else

would do.

"Oh sweet Merlin, Harry," she panted out in an erotically charged stream. "I think I might cum," she told him her

eyes looking quite surprised by that fact.

For some reason hearing Hermione say 'cum' really turned Harry on so he tried harder to make her. His thrusts

became faster and a little harder as she bounced against him her breasts moving in enticing ways as she moved. Her

hair was flying everywhere as he pumped into her at some speed, though still holding back lest he hurt her by

accident.

It seemed he had hit his stride just as she suddenly let out a protracted orgasmic scream and shuddered in his

arms. He didn't let that deter him however, and kept on going making her into a female jelly as he continued to make

love to her and pushing her towards a chain of orgasms that blew her away and for the first time in her life she just

ceased to be able to think a single coherent thought. Instead Hermione was floating on a cloud of pleasure that was

rocking the foundations of her core and making small magical discharges of power crawl through her hair as small

electrical looking lighting bolts. She was actually loosing so much control that she was performing accidental magic

around the place and things were changing shape all around them.

Then finally Harry came too forcibly and let out a roar of his own as he rode the white wave of it shuddering through

it and generally enjoying the sensation while it lasted. In his considered opinion the fact that only women could have

multiple orgasms sucked.

What seemed like an hour later they came back to themselves. Only to find that at some point they had fallen to the

floor with Hermione ending up lying on top of Harry. She looked down at his blessed out expression and smiled

slightly shakily. "Sweet Mauve" she breathed. "Is it always like that."

"It seems to get better all the time," Harry managed to reply chuckling slightly.

-#-

Tracey walked towards Harry where he was sat with his friends just before the nigh time feast was due to get

underway. She had turned up early hoping to catch him as there was something rather important that she needed to

discuss with him. She was beyond worried though as this was a big thing and could very well totally ruin their

friendship, but for that friendship she felt that she had do to it. Ron Weasley was ignoring the fact that Hermione and

Harry seemed to be sat close together even as Harry himself laughed and joked with Dean Thomas who he had

become surprisingly close to that year so far. Ginny Weasley was standing behind Harry with her arm over his

shoulder which also seemed to be driving the male Weasley to distraction and not in a good way.

She walked up to hear Harry laughing and faltered. He seemed to be in such a good mood and this would disrupt that

rather neatly. She wasn't sure she wanted to do that so she started to back up a step when he spotted her. "Tracey,

come and sit down," he said with that damnable charming smile of his.

Tracey walked up and stood next to Ginny Weasley and smiled slightly at him, "Actually Harry," she said in a

resigned voice, "Could I have a quick chat - in private please."

"Of course," Harry said getting up and making his excuses. He fell into step with her as she led him into a nearby

empty classroom. As soon as the door was shut she sealed it with every privacy and locking spell that she could

come up with and turned to look at him with worry in her eyes.

"What's the matter," he asked her softly seeing that she was worried about something and that it was obviously

serious. He leaned on a desk and looked at her with eyes full of patience and understanding which almost made her

want to cry. She straightened her back and readied herself for the fallout of what she was about to tell him.

"Harry do you remember the other night," she asked.

"Do I ever," he said with a sexy glint in his eye which cleared, "Oh no - are you regretting it?"

She smiled softly, "I could never regret that and neither does Daphne, but do you remember you were worried about

hurting Daphne and I told you not to worry."

"The wand trick," Harry said with a semi serious nod.

"Do you remember I said that wasn't it?"

"I do actually now you come to mention it."

"Well there is a reason for that, that wasn't the first time she had penetrative sex."

"This is going in a worrying direction, do you need me to duel someone?"

"No, though that might happen anyway, she wasn't forced or anything it was totally mutual in fact I was the one that

penetrated her."

Now Harry looked totally confused as he had seen everything she had to show and there was no way for her to carry

out that particular act on her own without help and he didn't think she was talking about toys.

"You see, I was poly juiced at the time. Cross gender, but all the same the potion works fine for that."

Harry nodded, it would he knew change the body just fine whatever the gender even with working equipment though

he doubted it was fully working. He would have to ask Severus as he wasn't fully finished going through the mans

memories yet and he still wasn't sure if his download technique was a 100% thing or not. "Go on," he said.

"I was urh - please don't hate me for this, Poly juiced as you."

Harry quirked a slight grin, "Okay a little flattering I suppose, surprised you managed to get a hair from me though to

be honest. But then I know it's possible I managed to get into your dorm using that potion after all."

"I'll want to hear that story later, if you're still talking to me after this."

"I will be don't worry. It's odd, but I can handle it we're friends now after all."

"The thing is Harry, that I didn't get the hair off you. I brought the hair through a contact in the

underground. Someone is selling your hairs on the black market. I only know because of my various contacts there

myself."

Harry went white, then red and then almost purple with anger, "WHAT!"

Tracey paled and backed up a step, "I'm so sorry."

Harry looked at her, "I'm not angry with you," he told her calming his voice and anger down a tad. "I'm angry

because it means someone with access to me is - betraying my trust and selling parts of me to total strangers."

"I know; I figured it was someone in your dorm but I don't know who."

"How much do I go for?"

"100 Galleons a potion," she told him.

Harry pursed his lips, "Got any of that potion left?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial, "It's not any good any more but I kept it anyway, then I

figured you'd want it for evidence or something."

"Thank you for bringing this to me Tracey. I'm not mad at you, but I have to go talk to a few people."

"I understand," Tracey said breathing a sigh of relief, "We're really okay?"

Harry nodded at her and then pulled her in for a brief but intense kiss, "That took some bravery to bring to me Tracey

and I appreciate it."

"I could do nothing but once I got to know you, before I thought it was harmless but now I know you I realise some

of the implications."

Harry nodded and then with a wave of his hand dispelled all her spells on the door, "I've got to talk to a few people

but we'll meet up again soon."

"Promise," she asked in a slightly small voice.

"Of course," he said giving her another quick kiss goodbye and then striding out of the room. She sagged against the

desk surprised at how much had ridden on his acceptance of that and forgiving her. He had come to mean a lot to

her, more than she had previously realised.

-#-

Harry strode back into the Great Hall and straight up to the teachers table and made a bee line for

Severus. "Severus," he said by way of greeting and quietly so it didn't spread past the table.

"Yes Harry, what's wrong?"

"I need your help with a potion. Can you trace a potion?"

"I would have thought you would know that you cannot," Severus said with a raised eyebrow.

"I was hoping I was wrong," Harry said, "I'm not sure I get total download or not," he told him seriously.

Snape nodded slightly, "Why what do you need traced. While you can't trace a potion there are some hints as to the

person who made it, or where in some cases. For instance with some potions there is magical residue left over from

the wand that made it, or the stirring sticks."

"Polyjuice," Harry asked.

"Yes, in that case we might be able to trace the ingredients. Boomslang skin for instance has slightly different

properties depending on where it was grown and that can be ascertained from the potion. Why? Is someone here not

who they appear to be?"

"No, but from now on we have to be careful when it comes to me. So we need a security word or something when

talking of something sensitive."

"Someone has gotten a hold of your hairs?"

"And they are selling them on the black market in the form of Polyjuice."

"We need the headmaster in on this conversation and to go somewhere private and secure. This is not good

Harry." Severus said his tone very serious.

"I know, not to mention potentially embarrassing as well."

Snape looked at him a little funny at that but turned his attention to where the headmaster was looking at them with

slight worry in his eyes.

Severus nodded his head to the side and the Headmaster nodded his acceptance. The three of them then made their

way out of the Great Hall and headed towards the headmasters office.

It didn't take them long to get there and none of them spoke the entire way. Such was the Headmasters trust in the

individuals involved and the other two didn't want to say anything until they were secure.

Once they were settled into the office Albus sat in his chair and turned his full twinkling attention to the previously

unlikely pair. "What's the problem," he asked his tone serious. Lately he wasn't used to either of them looking so

severe.

"Someone is selling Harry Polyjuice on the black market." Snape said with no preamble. "I doubt I have to tell you

how deadly this is especially at this point."

"No, indeed you don't."

"Well I don't get it. I know it's an invasion of my privacy but deadly?"

Snape rolled his eyes and replied, "You are already a target, think of just this scenario. If someone wanted to ruin

you all they have to do is Polyjuice themselves and go AK'ing a street full of people. Never mind the fact that people

would let you in on sight to just about anywhere with no quibbles. For instance you could come into the school to the

headmaster's office and immediately kill him looking like that and no one would know before it was too late. Those

are just the two that come off the top of my head. How did you find this out anyway?"

"I talked to someone that purchased some for - urh - fun."

"Then there is another," Severus said with a slight look of distaste on his face, "while transformed if they were to

copulate and complete and if the sperm took a hold..."

"What I could be a father already even when I had nothing to do with it? It's an actual temporary Genetic change?"

"Indeed," Albus said gravely. "The dark rituals that could be held with your offspring alone give me shudders."

Harry was white, shock and rage warring in his body, "What about cross gender?"

"I don't think that would work, magically at least they would still be female." Severus said thoughtfully tapping his

chin with a finger.

Harry relaxed slightly; he wasn't adverse to Tracey or Daphne one day having his children but he doubted they were

ready for that yet and not for a long time.

"This is very serious, just imagine for a moment that it would take a hold and even if they meant not for a dark ritual

they could hold up the baby and claim it was your heir." Dumbledore said tugging on his beard as he thought.

"Fuck," Harry said succinctly.

"Indeed," Albus said, "We need to investigate this and find the culprit as quickly as possible I just pray we are not

already too late."

"I think it's got to be someone close to me and by that I mean physically." Harry said with a thoughtful look on his

face.

"I'd agree, your dorm mates for instance?"

"I hope not," Harry said seriously.

"Let us examine the potion for starters," Snape said holding out his hand.

"You have a sample," Dumbledore said with a slight smile on his face, "That's a good starting point at least."

Harry handed over the small vial that Tracey had given him. "This is all there is," he told them.

"Shame," Severus said taking the vial and holding it to the light and shaking it slightly, "No longer viable to use." He

noted critically, "Not that it matters for our purposes."

"What do I do in the meantime?"

"I'll have a search performed on the quiet by the house elves, of anyone in Gryffindor for starters, starting with your

dorm. It is my understanding that you aren't sleeping there anyway at the moment, I would suggest you carry on that

trend as long as you can assure me you're safe?" Dumbledore asked.

"I am, and still in the castle. Just Adfero me if you need me," Harry informed him with a slight smile.

"Make sure to remove all your belongings, now while everyone is at the feat. I'm sure the house elves would be

happy to give you dinner in the kitchens and I'm sure you know your way there by now."

Harry laughed and nodded his head, "I'll do that now then shall I?"

"Indeed Harry, Severus and I will begin work on the potion and find out what we can straight away. We will get to

the bottom of this don't worry Harry," Albus said with a kindly smile.

Harry got up to go when Severus stopped him, "Capalle asked if you would be willing to follow through on that

promise you made her tonight - I'll let you make the arrangements." He said with a slightly pained smile.

Harry nodded and put a finger to his head and jerked it away and a small dragon flew from his brow and out the

door. "I'll get that out the way ASAP," he told the potions master before making his way out of the door.

"Oh Harry," Snape said, "I believe she wants to do a reciprocal one, just a friendly warning that she won't take no for

an answer and that I'm aware and fine with it." Harry blushed and virtually ran out of the door.

"Do I want to know?" Albus asked with a twinkling smile.

Severus just shook his head with a rueful smile, aware that he was whipped already if he was letting this go

forward. He wanted it over and done with before they were to marry though and he wanted it out of her system and

this seemed like the only way to do it. If it wasn't for the fact that he was so hopelessly in love with her it would

probably break him allowing what he was allowing then again he didn't want her if she kept thinking - what if? He

couldn't live with himself with that going on in the back of his mind so he had written her a very special letting

though she didn't know the full contents of that letter. He was sure that Harry was going to be floored when he read

it, but then he had gotten to know the young man very well during their sessions on working on the clay

solution. They had talked and shared a little and it had been a cathartic time for them both, he wouldn't say they were

friends. That said, he did think that he could trust Harry to do this and for the reasons he stated in his letter to the

young man. In the meantime he was going back to his quarters and taking some dreamless sleep potion after getting

hammered.

-#-

Capalle Zabini walked into the empty Art classroom dressed as she always was in the latest Wizarding pureblood

fashion and saw Harry Potter working on something in the corner of the room almost oblivious to her presence. She

was surprised when she got his message but then she suspected that Severus had passed along that she wanted to get

this done and out of the way.

She cleared her throat and waited for him to react, which he did she could tell as his shoulder's tightened somewhat

and he stopped what he was doing. "Why are we here?" Capalle asked curiously.

"I wanted to talk to you," Harry said. "Before we get going or if we do."

"Ah, I thought you might want to back out." Capalle said reaching into her pocket and pulling out a roll of

parchment. Severus had refused to show it to her and it was secured against prying eyes with several privacy

spells. In all honesty she was worried that he had not done as she had asked.

Harry half turned to her, revealing an amazing sculpture as he did so Capalle's eyes went wide at the sight of it. "I'm

just about done, was about to fix it."

It was of her, full sized and a full nude posed with her brush to a sculpted canvas with a half done imagine of him in

his dragon form on it. It was a work of highly fine art and she wasn't quite sure how he had done it. He had shown

no real artistic talent before that point. He had even said that he had to work from memory in order to be able to

make a sculpture of any sort. She was, however, fully aware that he had not seen her naked. Even when he had

walked in on her and Severus she had been part dressed. She walked over idly handing off the scroll to him as she

passed a critical eye over the sculpture as she did so. She had asked for a nude it was true but this was not the pose

she had in mind when she had requested one. It was then she noticed some things were incorrect. Such as the exact

size of her chest, the musculature of her stomach and other slight differences. Apparently he had managed to get

around the imagination hurdle he had mentioned before when creating these works. This meant that she had a

potentially mind blowing artist on her hands. He was not up to Dean's standards and certainly not to hers, but he had

just begun but with her teachings he could be amazing.

It amused her that he had done this to get out of the promise. Not realising what he had let himself in for from her.

"What the fuck," Harry said reading the scroll/letter with a totally shocked expression on his face. He pulled out his

wand and shot every spell he could think of at the letter to find out if it was fake or not even measuring the magical

signature on it but at the end of the day there was no denying that Severus Snape had written the damn thing. The

things he was talking about though boggled the mind, the things he was asking for went beyond the pale and frankly

Harry was beyond shocked to the core. He looked over to the bent over form of Capalle who was inspecting his work

and then back at the letter then back at her form again. He wanted to, he had no doubt about that and apparently so

did she, but Severus was asking for something beyond a one night stand. It didn't make sense to Harry while at the

same time it did, especially with Severus detailing it in great detail following the thought process. He wasn't

surprised that he hadn't wanted to talk to him directly on this matter, they would both die of embarrassment of that he

was sure. He was curious to know what Capalle thought of this herself though.

"I think you should read this," Harry said holding out the parchment for her to take.

She turned to him with amusement in her eyes but curiosity as well. She took the letter and began to read when it

suddenly changed on her. The writing completely changed from the letter Harry had been reading and it was

addressed to her.

Harry watched her as she read, her eyes moving back and forth across the page for a long while. Her eyes filled with

tears at one point which he did not take as a good sign and at times she looked angry and amused so it was hard to

gauge her exact emotional state at any particular moment in time. Then those beautiful amber eyes cleared of

emotion and she glanced up at the young draconian sat watching her. She then folded the letter and put it away in

her pocket again, "I will have to kill him you understand, but he's not wrong either."

"I had no idea your - fascination went that far," Harry said seriously.

"It does, I'm surprised that Severus realised just how much though. I'm no such thing as in love with you but rampant

lust is quite correct. The question will remain then am I to become a satellite member of your fledgling Harem? Are

you and Severus to share my affections?"

"I really don't know about this at all Capalle, I find myself not wanting to do anything to hurt him. But he's already

told me that it would hurt him more to have you... wondering from afar."

Capalle smiled thinly, "He knows me far too well for my liking or he knows the family rather too well for my liking

at least."

"I'm not sure I follow that, not sure I want to."

"My sister has had rather a lot of husbands, she has loved each and every one of them but somehow she always ends

up becoming bored. I am much the same, but I don't resort to killing them when I become bored."

"Interesting insight," Harry mumbled.

"Her aspirations were always monetary, while mine have always been my art. She doesn't have that, and I would

appreciate it if you keep all this to yourself. I doubt Blaise would like you knowing. He is the only constant male

presence other than my father that she has no desire to kill for their money."

"Remind me to stay the hell away from her," Harry said with a slight smile.

"She would never poach from me," Capalle said with a slight smile.

Harry looked at her, "You want this?"

"This way I will admit I get to have my cake and eat it too," she said with another smile, this one wider than before.

"This is so very strange for me you understand," Harry said seriously. "I know Severus is serious, he made sure of

that, I'm sure you realise as well."

"Actually no, the letter changed for me."

"Oh, interesting..." Harry said having nothing else to say on the matter.

"This will make the night go easier and in a much more fun direction too," Capalle said turning to face the door and

spelling it shut and locked.

Harry's draconian nature was screaming at him at that point. He had a willing female that was all for having sex with

him and frankly he had wanted her as soon as he had laid eyes on her. He had doubts but his nature was sweeping

them under the carpet of morality. "I can't believe I'm contemplating this."

Capalle looked at him with a hooded gaze, "I'll make it more than worth your while Harry."

"Last year I would have done this to get back at him, this year I'm doing it for him... The world is a very strange

place," Harry noted. "What do you think of the sculpture then?"

Capalle waved her wand at it and it turned back into base material, "Shoddy - though I am very interested in how you

have apparently used imagination to fill in the blanks."

"I realised," Harry said with a sigh, "That you can remember a dream."

"So," Capalle said not getting the point.

"A dream is not real, so I brought forward a memory of a dream and made an experimental sculpture. I then reset it

when it worked and imagined you in that pose. I then focused on it for a while committing it to memory and presto

you saw the result. Though I will admit I didn't think it was shoddy."

"My breasts are larger, my stomach flatter and I am shaved."

Harry gulped through a suddenly dry throat.

"Now imagine my on my knees in front of you sucking on your man hood. Hold the thought, take off my clothes in

your mind," Capalle said her tone quite serious so Harry did as he was asked. Despite how strange it was.

"Now fill in every detail. My mouth is wet from where spit has spilled onto my lips; my head is bowed over your

lap. My hands are wrapped around your shaft. Have you got it?"

Harry nodded, painfully hard at the image.

"Now cast," Capalle told him.

Harry did as he was asked and the sculpture formed beside him. He opened his eyes to find Capalle was on her knees

in front of him with those wonderful amber eyes filled with lust looking at him. He looked over at the sculpture and

saw it was perfect in every detail.

"Now animate it," Capalle told him.

Harry half frowned but did as he was asked, "Is this the Wizarding world's idea of porn?"

Capalle smiled slightly and began to unbuckle his belt, then pulled down his fly and finally freed him from his

boxers. She looked to the side and then replicated the statues movement herself.

Harry let out a slow breath as her skilled lips moved around his crown and wondered at the strangeness of his life.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

Harry let out a sigh as he sat down at breakfast and looked at the groaning table filled with food. After the last few

days he desperately needed to eat and despite being a dragon in part he really didn't want to start stealing farmer's

cows to live on. He revelled in that side of his nature but he didn't want to give himself over to it that much.

So as soon as he was able he dug in, dishing out a full plate full of a full English breakfast and knowing already that

he was going back in for a second helping. Hermione looked at him with some amusement as he ate. He was going

for Ron's record but at least he had table manners.

Dean looked at him askance, "Hungry Mate?" he asked sardonically.

Harry just nodded his head continuing to pile through his food with a single minded relish.

He idly planned what he was going to be doing that day, he had class of course but a couple of free periods were

involved with that. There were a few things he wanted to work on, a couple of ideas to flesh out for the twins to

market for him soon. He was keen to work on the Arithmancy based computer system he was cooking up with

Hermione's help. That would go a long way to setting the Wizarding world onto a path of technological

advancement. He was currently thinking about storage and such abilities. Hermione had told him she was

approaching the stage where she was able to do some advanced work with his calculator. Though what she needed

was a way to store information.

He was thinking that over when his pocket buzzed. He pulled out the clamshell designed phone that the twins had

made him. It was one of the first off the line using the new designs that Dean and Capalle had done for them. It was

sleek and hyper modern looking oddly enough and probably slightly smaller than a comparable phone in the Muggle

world. One thing Wizards did well was shrinking things and the phone was jam packed full of shrunken

Technomancy which is what the twins and he had come to call what they were up to. It wasn't exactly the dictionary

definition but at the same time it seemed to fit as well. There were all sorts of things boiling in Harry's head that he

would like to bring to the Wizarding world, he was not sure how some of it would be taken but there was a lot he

would like to try. The point of the exercise was not to actually make money but to improve people's lives by either

making them easier or enriching them. This is why he was so keen on bringing Art and Music back to Hogwarts.

He looked at the almost holographic looking display on the phone, thinking that he would have to get the twins to

share that magic with him, and then smirked and selected an option and placed the phone down on the table.

Underneath it glowed and a piece of parchment was conjured and filled with one of the twins scrawl. It was hard to

tell which was which when it came to hand writing. Once it was complete he picked up the parchment and read

through it with a smile on his face.

"What have the twins thought up now," Hermione asked trying not to peek over his shoulder. In the meantime

several people on the house table had noticed the strange new magical technology and seen the parchment conjured

and were thinking it was seriously cool.

"Just an update on a few things, the shop in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley will be ready in a few days."

"They really do work fast," Hermione said admiringly.

"Magic rocks," Harry said by way of an explanation. "The shops will double as CD and phone shops so I expect

things will move quickly soon. They've got the phone stuff ready really quickly, faster than they thought and have

most of what they want ready already. Just a couple of tweaks to the units themselves and that's it for now. We just

need working models to start with after all. There's some legal crap to be sorted out as well, but they now have an

army of lawyer types to deal with that for them. I knew my families money would come in useful for something."

"You're footing the bill for all this," Hermione asked slightly surprised.

"Of course, it's not like I need a lot of money myself and thanks to my families and I mean plural I'm rather well off."

"Plural," she asked.

"Sirius," was the terse reply.

"Ahh," she said with a nod and then reached under the table and gave his leg a squeeze.

Harry smiled at her, and then looked up as the morning mail began to arrive. He idly realised that the days of owl

post were numbered. Given the so called short message service of the phones that sort of mail would probably shift

to them instead. Packages and legal documents would likely remain the purview of the owl post though and he was

glad of that as it meant that he wasn't going to put a few thousand owls out to pasture.

One owl angled towards him and he looked at it askance. He had not been expecting anything to arrive as most

people he knew were with him and now the twins had the phones to communicate with. He fed the owl some bacon

as he extracted the parchment missive and read it over with a haunting smile coming to his face.

"Anything interesting, I'd guess so from that smile, but with you it's hard to tell," Hermione asked with a fond smile

for her friend and lover.

"It's from my social secretary. Apparently I have a function to go to this week."

"Oh what sort of function?"

"Ministry boring crap they're throwing another ball in my honour and are requesting my presence. Apparently I can't

get out of this without annoying the minister and a load of lackeys so I'll have to go this time."

"You have refused one before?"

"I have," he admitted.

Hermione shook her head with a half smile on her face.

"Oh bugger," Harry suddenly said redirecting her attention back to him again.

"What?"

"Apparently I need to go shopping for some good robes."

Hermione laughed.

-#-

Life on the Isle of Black wasn't too bad, Cissy decided. She got to spend time with her sister and was reconnecting

with her quite a bit and despite the fact they couldn't move around they managed to keep themselves amused. Fleur

visited often when she was able and the Frenchwoman was excellent company.

Still, she missed a certain black haired young man more than a little bit and felt that she had rather a lot of unfinished

business with him. For one thing he had saved her life and saved her from a fate worse than death. She had then

saved her sisters life at her insistence despite the past they shared. Then he had protected her stupid son from himself

somewhat and made sure he had not ended up in Azkaban for what he had tried to do. This was above and beyond

the call of duty. By rites he could have asked for a duel to the death and killed the stupid boy. She knew why he

hadn't of course and appreciated it more than she honestly knew how to express. Though she had a few ideas on that

score only she rather needed him around to carry that plan out.

She understood he was busy and tied to a single place for the most part. It would still be nice if he could get away

once in a while though, it had been sometime since she had seen him.

As if to answer her thoughts a he glided into the room on his 'skateboard' his coat tails flowing out from behind

him. According to him it was the only way to get around in the large castle. As always when she saw the man she

was crushing on her heart leapt into her throat and hammered ninety to the dozen. She felt herself react to him in that

good low down way that spreads warmth through the body and she had to clamp down on the response that screamed

for her to jump him. She found him utterly irresistible she had to admit. She wanted him unlike anything she had

come across in her life and that was saying something. She had not exactly been short of relationships before her ex

husband after all. That said he was totally different to all of them. She knew she was older than him and that didn't

matter. His fledgling harem was forming and she had every single intention of being a founding member if he would

have her. He seemed to want her back as well which just made her glow with some selfish pride. She knew she was

a beautiful woman, but she had no idea that she would be desirable to someone like him. In truth she had been so

long without proper manly company she was wondering if she still had 'it' until he had finally responded to her

during their first kiss.

He glided over to her with a half smile on his face and eyes sparkling with mirth. "Hey Cissy," he said dropping

down off his board and walking the rest of the way to her.

Cissy battled with herself for a moment and then found herself in an embrace her lips locked to his as she kissed the

breath out of his body. When they finally parted his eyes were showing his arousal and a hint of confusion, "What

did I do to deserve that?"

"You came to see me," she replied and took a step back away from temptation. "Isn't that reason enough?"

"I'm sorry it has been a while hasn't it?"

"It has, I'm guessing your missive reminded you I was here?"

"I knew you were here Cissy, I've just been rushed off my feet at Hogwarts lately."

She smirked, "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

Harry chuckled at her joke and then leaned against one of his conjured desks that had still not faded away, "So what

have you been up to?"

"Nothing, it's a little boring here but we manage."

"Oh, while I'm here then I'll go for a look around the place, so you can finally get out of this room. For one thing

there is a massive library here."

"There is?" Cissy said with a smile, "Having a book to read would be nice to say the least."

"It's about the size and breadth of Hogwarts'"

"You've been there? Then surely it is safe."

"I assume so, but I'm not as relaxed with other people's safety as I am my own. But that aside now I've met the man

so to speak I'm 100% confident that he has not trapped the place at all. The wards aren't even finished after all."

"So we can move around," Cissy asked.

"I think so yeah, just let me scout around slightly. There's a tower I think will be here that I want you both to move to

actually but I have to check it exists."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just ask the portrait?"

Harry looked at her blankly for a moment, "For all the knowledge I've picked up apparently I've left behind my

common sense, thank you Cissy for being you."

Cissy blushed slightly, "Well go and ask because frankly both Bell and I could do with stretching our legs."

"Right you are then," Harry said with a smile and jumped back on his board, he paused and gave Cissy a quick peck

on the lips and then was away leaving her blushing slightly.

Bell walked out of 'her' room with a smirk on her face, "He really gets to you doesn't he?"

"And he doesn't to you?"

Bell smirked, "Point."

-#-

They moved everything they owned, which wasn't much, to the professor's tower as soon as Harry got back from

quizzing the portrait in the Headmaster's office. He'd been forced to send a jolt of magic through the frame to get

Sal's attention though as he was in Hogwarts at the time, but it had brought him back soon enough. He had also

asked about any potential surprises and was glad to hear there were none. There was a chamber of secrets there but

Sal hadn't gotten around to placing another HissKiller in place at the moment of his death so it was empty.

He had then gotten a vague map of the place out of the wizard and spent five minutes duplicating his map to read the

wards around the Black school. It wasn't complete per say but it had everything that he required at that moment. He

was going to do it properly once he had finished the wards around the place and put a copy of the 3D map in the

headmaster's office linked to the wards and the offensive wards he planned to put in place.

The truth of the matter was that it was unlikely that he would allow many people access to the island. 'His Girls'

were a dead cert to be included but he couldn't think of many others. Perhaps Dumbledore and if they continued on

the path they were on Severus as well. Remus was likely as well as the man was one of his parent's long time friends

and he would like to get to know the man much better than he did currently. Fleur already had access but he intended

to give her a rune stone or something like it when he finished warding the place. He intended to make the island

impenetrable to anyone that didn't have the stone and the right magical signature.

Bell looked around the new quarters with a smile on her face, "It's almost like being back at Hogwarts. There's even

a common room," she said.

Cissy smiled at her and nodded her agreement, "This castle was modelled on Hogwarts and just about everything is

the same except the décor."

"So there is a Slytherin common room?"

"Yes, except here it's called Basilisk house," Harry said leaning on the door jam and smiling as they both jumped at

the sound of his voice.

"Merlin Harry you gave me a heart attack," Bell said holding a hand to her chest.

"Not my preferred method of increasing a heart rate but it has its amusement value," Harry admitted with a shrug and

a grin.

Bell smirked and sashayed over to him with a swing to her hips, "I much prefer your other method," she purred up at

him.

Harry smirked at her, "I've gotten permission to be out of school for a couple of days," he told Cissy with a smile,

"And the Headmaster knows I'm - off grounds dealing with some stuff. So Tomorrow I thought we could go

shopping, all of us, I'm buying."

"Sounds marvellous," Cissy agreed mostly happy that she would get to see Harry solidly for a few days, even if that

meant sharing him with her sister for some of that time. Though they did have separate quarters in the tower, they

were currently in Bell's room.

"Then I was wondering if you would do me the honour of being my date for the ball," Harry asked the blonde much

to her shock.

"Oh Harry I would love to, but I don't think that's such a good idea. I'm the ex wife of a death eater after all, I don't

think it would be good for your social standing either. You need to appear young free and single."

Harry made a face, "I'm happy with my lot in life when it comes to - partnerships. Anyone that has a problem with

you will have to go through me, so I don't see that being a big problem."

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Bell said shocking her sister.

"Why?"

"To show you're back in the game sister dear, and that you're not afraid of anyone. That you've allied yourself to a

powerful house and a powerhouse of a young man," Bell explained.

"She has a point," Harry said pointing at Bell.

"Very well, in that case it would be my honour."

"Excellent and if the party gets boring we can find somewhere private and fool around," Harry said with a wink.

"On that subject," Bell said and moved forward and captured Harry's lips in a loin scorching kiss.

Cissy rolled her eyes, mostly because she had been about to do that, damn her sisters quick thinking!

Bell broke the kiss and looked back at her sister with a smile on her face and lust filled eyes, "Aren't you going to join

us?"

Harry looked at the dark haired black sister wondering what she was playing at but Cissy didn't need to be asked

twice and he soon had an arm full of blond as well.

"Just so you know Harry," Bell said working the buttons on her dress, "I don't do the 'incest thing', but I'm quite

willing to join my sister in fucking you raw."

Harry opened his eyes to look at her and moaned when he saw her sliding her dress to the floor to show she was

dressed in black stockings set and nothing else, other than her heels. Cissy moaned into his mouth as he started to

work on her clothing. She helped him along by working on his clothing as well.

Clothes went flying as they continued to kiss passionately their tongues carrying out a pleasure filled duel in their

mouths. Bell walked back up to them from where she had thrown her clothes off and ran a hand down Harry's chest

before reaching between Cissy and Harry and grabbing his manhood in a firm grip.

"Oh god," Harry breathed as they broke their kiss when Cissy's hand joined Bell's on his shaft and began to glide up

and down his length. He had no idea what they had done with his boxers all he knew were two sets off hands on his

manhood giving him great pleasure. There was something about the contrast of black hair and blonde hair that was

driving up the eroticism of the moment for him he had to admit.

Bell then knelt down and Cissy directed his crown to the dark haired sister's lips. They splayed around his girth and

he entered the heat of her mouth.

"Oh god," Harry breathed as Bell's succulent lips encased his shaft and the heat of her moist mouth hit him like a

blast from the blue. Cissy looked up at him with crystal clear blue eyes filled with sin, her hand still working his

shaft even as Bell's mouth worked the upper end of his shaft.

"You two are going to kill me," Harry noted wryly though his vocal tone suggested he wouldn't mind in the least.

Bell popped off the end of his manhood and shot him a lust laced look full of mirth, "What a way to go though huh

Harry?" She asked while fondling his cock with a slender but firm gripped hand.

"Can't say it's not a nice way to go," Harry said with a smirk.

Cissy took advantage of her sisters' distraction and sank her mouth down on Harry's manhood in a single smooth

motion almost hitting the back of her throat with his crown in a single move.

"FUCK," Harry yelped in surprise.

Bell just laughed moving around so she was sideways on to him and then leaning forward to take the side of his shaft

into a slight grip between her lips sliding them up and down his length staying away from her sister in the process but

still driving up the intimacy and eroticism of the moment to insane levels.

"Oh my god," Harry breathed reaching out and cupping their heads with his hands, on the left Bell with her raven

locks and on the right Cissy with her almost platinum blonde tresses. Then somehow with no real signal the sisters

appeared to begin working together. As Cissy moved up so did Bella and the same in reverse so their lips were

sliding all over his shaft and sending him into paroxysms of almost orgasmic joy.

"Someone had better fuck me right the hell now," Harry growled out. The sisters stopped what they were doing and

looked at each other for a moment. They appeared to come to some sort of accord and before he knew what was

happening Harry was pushed back onto the nearby bed, bouncing slightly with the suddenness of the move. Then

Cissy clambered onto his lap, her totally nude form almost glowing in the soft lighting of the room. Once she had

straddled him she looked directly into his eyes and reached between their bodies.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," she told him lining his crown up with her slick folds.

"So have I," Harry told her.

"Don't forget me," Bell said moving so she was behind Harry and grabbing his shoulders and pulling him

backwards. Harry soon got the clue and allowed himself to be guided between her stocking glad thighs, her naked

and shaven sex mere inches from his lips. He smiled slightly as the aroma of her arousal hit him full force, it was a

musky smell but not unpleasantly so and it was good to know that it was him she was hot for at the end of the day.

His eyes shot open as he suddenly felt Cissy beginning her downwards motion sliding down his shaft with a long

smooth motion that made them both groan in pleasure. "Fuck that's deep," Cissy breathed out pushing some of her

long hair out of her eyes and behind her shoulder.

"Is it good sis, is he filling you up," Bell asked her tone pure sin.

Cissy nodded biting her lip as she did so taking him an extra inch more, "Oh yeah," she let out in a single breath.

Bell chuckled, that wonderful sinful sexy chuckle that Harry had come to enjoy so much and settled into position as

well. "Well," she asked in a husky purr.

Harry licked his lips and smiled before moving his position a little and lapping at her already slick folds. Bellatrix

closed her eyes with a haunting smile on her face even as her sister began to rock her hips against Harry's pelvis.

Cissy threw her head back and smiled widely, "So long," she breathed as she began to speed her motions up. Her

breasts were bouncing with each movement as she sped up nipples rock hard already and closing the gap towards

orgasm so long had it been since she had been properly motivated towards that goal.

Harry's arms curled up and held the tops of Bell's thighs as she shifted a little, holding her in place as he set to work

on her puffy moist labia. "Oh yeah," Bell breathed out.

Just then Harry's tongue began to throb in the language of snakes catching Bell totally by surprise as totally new

sensations flooded her system and sent her eyes wide with shock and pleasure. "Hooolllyyy fuck," she panted out as

he began tracing the Parseltongue alphabet on her pussy his tongue flicking around like the speakers of the tongue

did.

"Enjoying yourself sister," Cissy managed to grind out through her own pleasure.

"Holy fuck," Bell said with a definitive nod of her head.

Cissy smirked but was soon swept up in her own pleasure even as Bell started to squeeze her own breasts searching

for some relief from the beautiful torture that Harry was putting her through between her shapely thighs.

Cissy grunted as Harry lifted his hips to meet her next thrust and she was send straight over the edge with shocking

speed her entire world became white for a moment before she came back to herself and actually sped up. She

couldn't get enough of the feeling of him filling up her up in that good low down way, stretching her out to the perfect

point of pleasure as she rocked on his hips. She reached forward and pressed a hand to his chest steadying her body

so she could literally work herself with abandon his cock sliding in the moist heat of her throbbing pussy.

Bella's eyes fluttered closed as an orgasm washed over her causing her to lean back a little and almost dislodge her

lover for a second as she sagged backwards. Only Harry's firm grip on her upper thigh kept her in place as the

orgasm hit her like a hurricane on Miami's shores. A silly grin lit up her face for the first time since the last time they

had been intimate and she let out a soft sigh before catching herself on her arms on the bed behind her and letting her

lover drive her towards her second orgasm of the session.

"FUCK," Cissy suddenly called out as another, bigger orgasm hit her hard sending any thoughts flying all over the

place, she too had a big smile on her face as she finally got her way with her young stud and reached some peace of

mind at the level of her loins.

"Cum for me Harry," Cissy said her voice rough from the cry from earlier. Her vaginal muscles were fluttering

around the steel of his shaft, almost milking him and begging for his seed.

Bella let out a cry of her own as Harry replied, only in Parseltongue and coincidentally sending her right over the

edge again as well. This time Bell did fall back, literally folding backwards leaving Harry lying between her legs his

tongue still in motion for a moment before he realized he had lost her. His emerald regard met sapphire for a moment

and Cissy found herself cumming again just from the look in his eye. He sat up showing some fine muscle control

and captured her lips in a kiss. His hands going to her pert behind and helping her motion along as she literally

destroyed her mind in the mini death as the orgasms kept coming, over and again while Harry kissed the breath out of

her.

Harry broke the kiss finally his eyes shining at the blonde beauty he was currently hilt deep in before spinning them

so he was now above her and burying himself deep into the beautiful older woman.

Cissy let out a cry at the suddenness of the move and then a groan of beautiful pleasure as he went deeper than ever

pushing her legs so her legs draped over his back at the knee and then leaning forward ending up about as deep into

her as he could go. It was too much for Cissy who nearly blacked out from the force of her next orgasm but she held

on to the tattered remains of her consciousness through sheer will power even as Harry continued to pump into her

with relish and no mercy.

"Cum darling cum," she begged him her eyes rolling around in her sockets, "Cum for me my darling," she almost

ordered him, clamping down with all the force she was able on his next thrust and sending them both right over the

edge into nirvana.

As they came down from their joint and very intense orgasm they heard a golf clap from Bell who was watching them

with a gleam in her eye, "Very nice, you're good together even - but when is it my turn," she asked as Harry looked at

her.

-#-

"You did him didn't you," a hissed question was thrown at her after Hermione walked out of one of her classes, the

last of the day. She looked around with a little amusement showing, the tone had sounded very jealous and not even

slightly hidden. She knew that voice well enough and hissing was not going to throw her off in the least.

"I'm not sure that's any of your business Lavender," Hermione replied calmly.

Lavender stepped out of the shadows. As was normal with transfiguration Hermione had been the last to leave the

class which meant they were alone in the corridor at that moment.

"He'll hurt you," Lavender said her tone still not much more than a hiss.

"No he won't," Hermione said with the total certainty that comes from knowing someone for the better part of her life

at Hogwarts. It came from their many shared adventures, from life and death situations that the somewhat shallow

Lavender could never understand. She knew so deep in her heart that Harry wouldn't hurt her it was almost pure

instinct which was unusual for the usually cerebral Hermione. "He couldn't even if he tried." Hermione held up a

hand to ward off Lavender's next comment which she was obviously going to make from the way her mouth

opened. She walked into a nearby empty classroom and beckoned the beautiful blonde into the room behind

her. Once she was in then layered so many protective and silencing charms the headmaster would have had trouble

getting into the room. Then she silenced any portraits that she could find and then finally turned back to

Lavender. "I think it's about time you and I had a little chat, not an argument like before but an honest chat."

Lavender stepped back and folded her arms across her ample chest, looking at Hermione with distrust.

"You and I have been roommates for a while now," Hermione began, "In the last few years I've seen you toy with

men's affections and you know what I don't care, that's up to you. But Ron is a friend and I would like to know what

you think you're doing pitting him against Harry. For one thing Ron and the entirety of the Weasley boys don't have

a hope against Harry anymore even at their best and I know for a fact that there would be two down on the count to

start with. Now I've been friends with both of them for the best years of my life and I know them pretty well. I know

Harry the best of all."

"Because you're in love with him," Lavender spat.

Hermione smiled softly, "I rather suppose I am at that, but that's beside the point I'm also probably his closest friend

on earth and I can tell you this. He is different now for sure but at his core he's still Harry Potter, do you know what

that means?"

Lavender shrugged.

"Yes, it means that he can go toe to toe with Voldemort and win. He can face down a Basilisk and defeat it at the age

of 12 and even distract a troll long enough to save my life, that might even be when I fell in love with him actually."

"The way I heard it Ron saved you from that troll," Lavender sneered.

"He did, he levitated the club and knocked out the troll but that wouldn't have happened if not for Harry Potter

jumping clear onto it's back and distracting the thing by sticking his wand up the trolls nose, and then yelling for Ron

to do something, anything rather than just stand there looking as shocked as I had felt." Hermione smiled, "In a way I

owe them both my life from that day, but if not for Ron I wouldn't have been there in the first place."

Lavender frowned at that for a moment, "What do you mean."

"He was the last straw, the names he called me at the time just struck a nerve. I was ready to give up the Wizarding

world at that point and go home till that troll showed up and Harry jumped on its back to save me. He was only 11

years old at the time; think about that for a moment. 11 years old and already brave enough to jump on a fully grown

mountain trolls back to save a girl he hardly knew. But that's getting off the point."

"Not really," Lavender said with a half frown, "What about the chess set."

"Oh yes and that made me fall for a Ron I think," Hermione said, "Talk about brave sacrifice, shame he ruined that

year after year from that point on."

"He said he went down with Harry to save his sister."

"Harry faced that on his own in the end but yes he went with him, why all the questions this isn't what I wanted to

talk about."

Lavender shook her honey blonde hair, "Doesn't matter," she said looking thoughtful.

"Oh," Hermione said with a slight smile, "Its only normal for him to embellish to improve his standings with Harry's

ex, especially after he knew. The trouble is, Harry's for real, he's a true blue hero right out of a romance novel."

Lavender tossed her hair, "Whatever, he wasn't being very heroic with me."

"You're addicted to him, literally, though that should be out of your system by now. You're acting like an addict cut

off from the source. That's the power of not only his magic, what he thinks is the problem, but his personality and

sheer presence."

"Puh-lease," Lavender said looking a little shifty.

"Look, I'll be plain about this."

"As if you could be anything else," Lavender shot back cattily.

Hermione just smiled, after being with Harry and hearing him praise her looks as he made love to her, it took more

than that to shake her-self image. "Do you actually care about Ron, because if you don't you need to end it now

before it gets out of hand."

"I don't know what you mean," Lavender said looking shifty again.

"It started as a way to get back at Harry I'm sure of it. I expect you even like Ron. I too liked him once, still do a

little, but as far as I'm concerned nothing compares to Harry even his best mate."

Lavender crossed her arms around herself a little tighter, almost like a small self hug. "You know what I am talking

about I can see it on your face. I'm not sure Harry will ever forgive you for what you've wrought between Ron and

him but you might have a shot if you stop this now."

Lavender's eye leaked a tear a single tear, "But..."

"But what," Hermione asked.

"I feel so lost," Lavender finally admitted, "I have since we had that falling out then all I wanted to do was hurt him."

"And you certainly managed that," Hermione admitted with a frank tone of voice. "That doesn't mean it's too

late. Harry is aware that his magic and some of the things he can do with his magic have a certain addictive

quality. He's already done his best to pull the extra magic out of you so you could think clearly at least."

Lavender looked at her shoes, "I miss him so much," she admitted, "Even when we were - getting intimate he still

treated me well, better than any other boy. I was so mad when I thought he was trying to chat up Parvati."

"It's in his nature now to by polygamous," Hermione said frankly, "You'd have to accept that before even thinking of

starting something with him again. That aside though, none of this is fair to Ron and if you're not serious with him

then it needs to end before he gets serious with you."

"He already is, too much," Lavender said with a little shiver.

"You know what you need to do," Hermione told her with a soft smile. "I'll talk to Harry for you, but it's up to him."

Lavender looked at her for a long moment, "Why are you doing this for me?"

"I've known you a long time too Lav, and I don't want Ron or Harry anymore hurt than they already are. I can't save

them both though and I know this will hurt Ron but not as much as it could've when you ran at the wedding."

Lavender shivered again, obviously scared of just exactly that thought.

"Harry's away for a couple of days, but I'll give him a call and let him know what's going on," Hermione said pulling

out a slender top of the line model of the clam shell phone that Harry would soon be selling with the twins.

"Hey how did you score one of those," Lavender said looking stunned. Everyone in the school knew what they were

and wanted one desperately. It was the sort of secret that wasn't and the tension was high to the release date.

Hermione just smirked slightly for a moment, "Knowing Harry has perks," was all she would say on the matter.

"You seem to be rooting for Harry in all of this."

"Because Harry does care for you and you care about him, he cares for all of us. Ron is just happy to have a snog

bunny and a girlfriend. The pickings will be slim this year but oh well, Harry deserves the best though."

"I'm the best?"

Hermione's lips twitched in a controlled smile, "You're passing fair."

Lavender laughed for the first time in days feeling lighter than she had done in a while, "I'd better deal with Ron."

"You weren't sorted into Gryffindor for nothing Lav," Hermione said tapping away at the holographic phone

interface.

Lavender nodded then tried to open the door, "Oh - could you let me out," she asked blushing slightly.

Hermione nodded and sent a nonchalant twitch of her wand towards the door and then the room collapsing the spells

in place.

Lavender shook her head, "You're pretty special yourself," she noted before walking out - leaving a surprised

Hermione in her wake.

End.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original

characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright

infringement is intended.

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